


A Obssesive Mafioso Love Story!

by LP4E



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: But it's mostly for laughs, Crack, Crack from a yandere loving fool, Female and "Yandere" Tsuna and co, I don't judge, I mean, I'm gonna stop making tags now, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided(creepy)Attraction, There's a lot of crack, whatever floats your boat, you can take it seriously if you want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2018-05-23 22:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 50,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6131914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LP4E/pseuds/LP4E
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now I may have not been born as the sharpest knife in the collection, but I'm more than certain that my situation right now is more than a wee bit disturbing! In which a boy's innocent act of chivalry towards a bullied girl in his kindergarten class ends up biting him in the ass later and how he wished he listened to his sister's "I LOVE YANDERES" rants a bit more earnestly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chivalry gets you dead

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all~! I'm here with this little...thing.  
> Now here me out, when I say that there's a reason for this story's creation! I was on tumblr and I saw a thing for Yandere Simulator and other yandere thing and to make a long story short my brain got to work and here we are! I also wanted to right yandere!Tsuna because those are so rare and I feel he just fits the trope ya know? By the way this isn't supposed to be taken seriously at all. This is just as it said in the summary- "Crack spun from a yandere loving crack head." (I know I have fellow drugies like my self out there!)  
> So anyway I hope you enjoy this as much as I feel like I will writing it!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its many forms! I'm only here to entertain~

_**Chapter 1: Chivalry get's you dead** _  

* * *

If I were given the chance to tell my past self something, it would be to not care for other people. Become an anti-social hermit bastard and not give a flying frick how people felt. Close your heart to others and walk away from those in need. After all, it's none of your business what happens to strangers, it has nothing to do with you. Fortunately, my introverted child self was sorta half way towards being a complete ass, but apparently wasn't far enough...

Well...I guess this abrupt start sorta makes me sound like a complete weirdo for even thinking such thoughts, but if you were in my shoes, you'd probably be asking whoever or whatever was whiling to grant me this chance where the line was at...I am **_NOT_**  stressing this enough people.

Now you may be thinking "Oh yeah? Prove it!" and I would like to say, "Challenge Accepted!" So, to start off, let's go back in time a few years in the past to when I was just a young snot-nosed brat in Kindergarten.

During this time, I was known as that really tall kid in class. You know the one who was so tall they looked like they were two grades ahead of you? Yeah, that was me and with me being so tall I guess some of the kids were a little intimidated by my size and rarely tried to play with me. They didn't bully me or anything like that and if we were doing a little group project or something of the like, they wouldn't complain. They just seemed cowed at the fact that I was much more bigger than them.

I remember myself not really caring about the fact the other kids were too afraid to come near me, but was also a little lonely and sad at that. It wasn't my fault the men in my family were unnaturally tall for the average Japanese male, but genetics! Whatcha’ gonna do about it?

...Anyway, because of that I spent most of my time by myself staring up at the sky and blanking out. It was an amusing past time for me though it did worry my 'rents quite a bit. I also drew a lot and would draw the stuff I would day dream about (mostly of the stupid crap five-year-old boys think about. Robots, monsters, food, the list goes on). But back to what I was getting at, I also remembered that particular moment in kindergarten where I believe all this mess started.

* * *

 

It was a nice Friday morning during recess. It was after nap time and I was still full from snack time, so I was sitting at a bench and drawing a kick-ass dinosaur in a small sketch book my mom got me for my birthday a few weeks back. As I was drawing, I heard a commotion going on over by the sandbox and a little girl crying out. Me, being the nosy brat that I was, went to go investigate and immediately saw what all the noise was about.

Three first grade boys were picking on this transfer student that came to my class a little more than the week before. Her name was Sawada...something. I only knew her last name and her nickname that the class dubbed her when she managed to trip seemingly on thin air when she made her way to the front of the class to introduce herself. Since I knew calling her "Dame-Tsuna" was really rude and I didn't want to be excessively mean to someone I barely knew, I decided to just refer to her as Sawada and not really bother with her. Even now, I still think it was stupid to call her useless when all she did was trip. Clumsy sure, but useless? Talk about excessive judgment. Though I can't really talk since I did nothing to help her from all the bullying and teasing the rest of my class gave her for the past week. She was just some kid I barely knew, so why should I get involved and make trouble for myself? It's not like I was scared I would get bullied if I saved her from being teased, but I'd rather not make my already ostracized self feel even more out of place. I wasn't some kind of selfless, masochistic, "Hero" that would risk his already crappy social standing for the damsel in distress.

...Still...it did leave a bad taste in my mouth when I would see those damn, large brown eyes well up with tears. I mean, who on earth liked to see cute girl like her cry? Sickos maybe, but me? To troublesome.

To at least make her feel a little better, I would draw her little pictures of girly shit like flowers and bunnies and leave it on her seat before she'd notice. It probably didn't make her day, but that bitter feeling became just a bit more bearable when I'd see the small, yet happy smile on her face when she'd looked at one of my pictures. I guess it made me feel like I was doing something instead of nothing, but a few crappy drawings wouldn't shoo the bullies away and I knew that.

So, as I stood there watching as the boys surrounded Sawada, that bitter feeling returned ten-fold. It just wasn't fair. Why did she have to be teased for something she couldn't control? Yeah, we were kids back then and we didn't have filters or consciences to hold us back, but that didn't excuse us from doing mean stuff to others.

"Hey Dame-Tsuna, what's with the dumb doll?" One of the boys asked rudely, pointing at a stuff lion in her small arms. Sawada flinched at the question and looked down at the ground shyly.

"U-u...u-um..." She mumbled quietly and one of the boys frowned, annoyed.

"What? Speak up I can’t hear you!" He demanded making her cringe at the volume and me frown even more. What a jerk, yelling at a her like that...

"His…His name…is…is Natsu..." She managed to whisper out, trembling softly while clutching the lion tighter in her arms.

Another boy got closer to her and crossed his arms while scowling. "Dame-Tsuna why do you talk like that? Are ya stupid or something?"

"Of course she’s stupid! She's Dame-Tsuna after all!" At that, the three boys burst into a fit of laughter as if the kid had told a really good joke. I clenched my fist when I saw her teary eyes again. Dammit, this was so annoying and their stupid laughing was _NOT_ making me feel better.

And what happened next made me feel even more angry. When the brats stopped laughing, one of them snatched the toy out of Sawada's arms and her eyes widened in panic.

"H-Hey!" She yelled reaching for the stuffed doll, but the boy held it up out of her reach with a mean smile on his face. His friends mirrored his expression and began to toss the animal back and forth to each other like a demented game of monkey in the middle.

"Give…Give Natsu back!" She pleaded frantically while the jerks just laughed, throwing the animal around carelessly.

"Haha! Keep away!" One shouted, dangling Natsu in front of Sawada before tossing it to his friend.

"Please…please give him ba-back!"

"Why should we?"

"Hey Kou, over here!"

I stood there, disgusted at these guys actions. Did they really have nothing better to do than terrorize a little girl? I couldn't stand to watch anymore, and I remember thinking that I was gonna have to draw a super special picture for her today when something that made me stop cold happened.

One of those idiots threw the stuffed lion too far and it flew over his friend's head, right into a nearby mud puddle. I couldn't believe what just happened and by the look on Sawada's face, she couldn't either.

She screamed in a distraught panic and dashed towards the puddle on her own hands and knees, careless of getting wet or dirty, and hovered over the lion trembling. The action was already sad enough to pull at the heart strings, but it was nothing compared to the heart broken expression on her face. She looked as if she had lost her only friend and I realized with a heavy heart that maybe that was case.

And that's when I decided that enough was enough and began to make my way towards the four. The three idioteers didn't notice my imposing figure (or so I’ve been told) stalking towards them and they just laughed despite the fact that they just broke someone's heart so carelessly.

"Dame-Tsuna what the heck are you doing?!" The ass-hole kid who threw the toy laughed while pointing at her shaking, crying form.

"What the heck are you crawling through the mud for?!"

"Guess she really is stupid after all!"

_"Well if she's stupid, then what the heck does that make you?"_

The three boys stopped laughing at once and turned almost robotically towards me. When their eyes landed on my very displeased form, they turned pale and stared at me in fright.

"Oh, crap! It’s Shinonome!" One of them yelled, trembling along with his friends. In the corner of my eye I saw Sawada staring at me with wide eyes, appearing to be just as freaked out at the sight of me as the other three were. Her reaction caused me to eternally sigh in annoyance. How troublesome...

"What the heck are you idiots doin'?" I snapped at them, staring them down with my sharp green eyes. This was another thing that kept my classmates away from me. I had inherited my mother's sharp, piercing forest colored eyes, but the fact that since I'm pretty much blind as a bat even with glasses leads me to squint (which many people mistake for glaring) which in turn enhances my "menacing" look. My father called it my "Hawk eyes" whatever the hell that was supposed to mean...

Let's just say that this, my height, and the venom in my voice did nothing to soothe the boys’ fears and Sawada even gave a high-pitched "Hieee!" from the side.

One of the boys, who looked the least scared of the three (though still shaking and pale), walked towards me with a challenging glare of his own. "What's it to you Shinonome?!" The little crap barked at me making me raise an eyebrow. Wow, tough kid...that or stupid...most likely the latter...

"Well since you morons were actin' like a bunch'a monkeys and makin' a lot of noise, I decided to see what was goin' on." I explained calmly and smirked when I saw the angry red fill the boy's face.

"We're not monkeys  _stupid_  and we're just playing with Dame-Tsuna, right guys?" He demanded turning to his friends who were shaking their heads rapidly in denial before nodding when they saw that the boy turned to look at them.

"Oh really?" I asked, obviously not believing them. "Cause it looked like you were makin' her cry instead."

"Dame-Tsuna's just a cry baby like usual!" He challenged with a smirk, ignoring his friends who were trying to get him to shut up in fear that he'll anger me which, much to their misfortune, he was succeeding at.

I narrowed my eyes and warning began to bleed into the venom in my tone. "You shouldn't force people to do stuff they don't wanna do, it makes you look like an idiot."

"Shut up! You're not the boss of me!" He shouted back in retaliation while his friends seemed close to knocking him out if he didn't shut the hell up soon.

"I can do whatever I want! I don't care if Dame-Tsuna doesn't want to play or not cause she's stupid and everyone knows that stupid people have to listen to smart people like me!" He yelled and when I heard Sawada sniffle and whimper at the comment, my already limited patient was shattered.

"Oh really?" I grounded out between gritted teeth and even the little idiot seemed to regret his past words. "Well if that's the case, this makes my jobs a whole lot easier." I finished before grabbing the kid from the front of his shirt and pulling him closer to my face. I don't know why I was getting so annoyed and angry at the little shit, but his attitude really pissed me off. There were many people like this kid in the world and though I was still young, even I could tell when people were being unjust 'cause they felt that they could do whatever they want.

_'Don't grow up to be like them Daiki.'_  My mother once told me, looking in distaste at this one couple who looked over at a homeless man in disgust, not giving him another passing glance as he begged for food.

I looked to my mother curiously as she went over to the man and gave him a sandwich. It didn't really sink into my mind until recently, but as I saw the happy tears in the man's eyes as he gobbled down a half-eaten sandwich and thanked my mom like she'd just gave him a four course meal, I knew that you shouldn't just be mean and rude to people just 'cause you thought you had the right to.

So, as I stared down at the little jerk, I felt that the least I can do was help out Sawada just a little bit.

"Listen here you stupid monkey." I growled staring him straight in his wide eyes. "I get that you think you're special, but you're really just a loser so since you're so slow, I will say this simply enough for you to understand."

I dropped the kid and he fell against his friends who were paler than a hospital sheet. Sawada was still sitting in the mud puddle with wide eyes that were red from crying and that only solidified my next choice of words. She flinched in surprise when I pointed to her and began to speak in a strong tone.

"Sawada here has more brains than all of us, includin' me so I suggest you listen to her when she says stop. So, the next time you decide to go against her wishes, you'll have to answer to me you got that!?" The two boys nodded and when they saw that their idiot friend wasn't, they forced him to nod as well by pushing his head up and down.

"Good, now get the heck out of here!" And they didn't need to be told twice as they picked up their friend who was protesting and made a bee line towards the classroom. Silence immediately filled the surrounding area after their departure and I sighed in annoyance and exhaustion. That was so troublesome...

I turned my head sharply towards Sawada who yelped in fear and looked at me like I was going to eat her or something. She was still sitting in the puddle, much to my annoyance.

"Well?" I demanded crossing my arms and scowling (I had the tendency to do that). "What are you still sittin' in there for? Get the heck out of the puddle!" She scrambled to meet my demand and stood up, shaking and staring fearfully at me. I walked towards her and she took a step back from me, not that it mattered since her small legs were nothing against my much more longer ones. She looked down when I was a few feet from her and she fiddled with the end of her dress with one hand, holding Natsu in the other.

Despite her obvious fear, it seemed as if she wanted to say something to me as she nervously looked to me and everywhere else. I waited semi-patiently, knowing how much of a nervous wreck Sawada could be and how long it might take for her to even work up the nerve to stare at me for more than three seconds.

Finally, after about three minutes, she spoke. "...U-u...um..." She began, shuffling left and right and looking up at me apprehensively. I urged her on with a nod and she looked down seeing this. "Um...I-I...th-thank you...for…for helping Tsu-chan!" She finally announced, bowing at a 90-degree angle.

I blinked in surprise at the fact that she thanked me (and how she referred to herself in third-person). I didn't really do anything, just told some punks to back off. There's still the whole school who went out of their way to tease her, plus the other boy who didn't seem to like me telling him what to do. Well, whatever floats her boat...

"...You're welcome I guess..." I ended up saying and she looked up at me with a look of not just fear, but curiosity as well.

"Um!" She began before blushing at her outburst and looking down again which was now starting to get a little annoying.

" _Yes?_ " I stressed slightly, and she flinched at the tone. Damn, didn't mean to give attitude...

"...Why...why did y-you help...Tsu-chan?" She asked, and I stared down at her hunched form. Why did I indeed?

"Dunno, they just pissed me off." I simply answered while stuffing my hands into my pocket. She looked up at me again from under her brown bangs and twiddled her thumbs.

"O-oh..."

"They also shouldn't tease you like that." I added, and I smirked slightly at the shocked look that covered her face.

"E-Eh?!"

"You did nothin' wrong for you to be picked on like you are now and they don't have the right to even if you did. My mom told me that the only person allowed to judge you is you, no one else, so don't listen to those stupid monkeys. I pretty sure you're way smarter than most of the kids in our class, includin' me."

Sawada stared at me, round eyes glistening, before tears suddenly started to fall down her face again. I panicked slightly at this and started cursing myself. Aw man! I didn't mean to make her cry! My panic grew as she began to rub her eyes with her small hands and started to hiccup between her sobs.

"H-Hey! Why the heck are you cryin'?" I asked, staring down at her with narrowed, nervous eyes. What the heck!? Girls were weird!...

"Be-be-because! Tsu-Tsu-Tsu" She babbled between her hiccups. "On-only m-mama has told Tsu-chan st-stuff like that a-and-and!"

In my panic, I vaguely remembered about being surprised that no one had come over from all the commotion. I mean I know that the sandbox wasn't the most popular spot on the playground, but Sawada sure did have a pair of lungs in her.

"Tsu-chan's just so hap-happy! Waah~!" At that, I began to relax again. Oh, thank god, these were happy tears!

I sighed before combing back my black wavy hair with my fingers in exasperation and relief. "Geez~! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack! And stop cryin' already! It's annoyin'!"

"Tsu-chan can't!" She cried back making me groan in frustration. So damn troublesome!

A few minutes later of one-sided shouting and one-sided crying, things started to calm down to the point were Sawada's bawling decreased to sniffling. I was standing with my back turned to her and arms crossed, not exactly sure what to do. I wasn't good with people let alone emotional, crying ones...

I looked back at her from the corner of my eye and saw that she was still shivering. I frowned in confusion before suddenly realizing that she must have been cold standing in a dress soaked in mud on a chilly day like this. I took off my jacket that I was wearing and handed it to her. She looked at the jacket with wide eyes before looking at me and I looked away, awkwardly coughing into my fist.

"...You looked cold..." When she still didn't take it, I growled slightly with warm cheeks and waved it in front of her face. "Hurry up and take the stupid jacket!"

She "eaped!" before quickly grabbing the article of clothing and putting it on. It looked so big on her small frame that I found myself chuckling at the sight. She looked curiously at me before I told her what I was thinking.

"You’re so small..." She pouted at my frankness and I shrugged in a non-caring way. Hey it's the truth.

It was then that the bell for the end of recess rung startling us both. I found myself thinking incredulously at how long recess seemed to have lasted and looked towards Sawada who was giving me a cautious look. I held out my hand and she looked at it then at me, much how she looked at the jacket and me before.

I quirked an eyebrow, looking at her expectantly. "Well? What are you waitin' for? Let's go before we're late." She stared at me a bit more and I shrugged before dropping my hand and walking away. If she wanted to stand there like a statue then fine, I still had to get my stuff from the bench.

I got a few steps ahead before I heard a "Wait!" and felt something grab my shirt. I turned around to look at Sawada who stared back at me with a red face. "U-um! What's y-your name?"

I blinked before realizing that I hadn't even introduced myself. It seems she knew me about as much as I did her.

"...Shinonome...Shinonome Daiki."

She stared at me in awe a bit more (probably at the fact that I answered her) before her face blossomed into a sparkly smile and a ruby blush.

"Sawada...I'm Sawada Tsunayomi!" It was my turn to stare at her in shock. It was the first time I ever saw her smile so large and naturally and it was leagues better than all the little smiles I saw her have when she looked at my pictures combine. Plus, I just learned her full name too! I gave my own little smile as she tentatively grabbed my hand and we both made our way towards the classroom.

I had told the teacher that Sawada fell as explanation for her less than orderly appearance and so she called Sawada's mom, leading her to leave school early.

* * *

 

After that day, me and her had formed a type of blooming camaraderie. She was still really shy around me and stuttered which was annoying at first, but I did find myself enjoying her company after some initial awkwardness. Plus, her mom's cooking was to die for (especially compared to my mom's charred concoctions). She also found out that I was the one who drew all those pictures for her and would ask to watch me draw or even request a picture or two whenever she could drum up the confidence.

It was like a trade. She would keep me company and I would keep kids from teasing her when I could. They still messed with her, but it was much less severe than before now that the threat of incurring my wrath was possible. That one boy from before was one of the small group that still went out of their to try and make Sawada's life a living hell.

He would constantly try to challenge or one up me to get revenge for "telling him what to do" and I found myself disliking him more and more as the days passed. I felt like his one-sided rivalry with me would last forever until one certain day when me and the so called "older" kid were having another stupid argument. I had said something that seemed to really piss him off and before I knew it, he chucked a ball he had in his hands at me in anger. It was so sudden that I didn't have time to dodge and it hit my right in the face. I fell to the ground, staring up in a daze. I felt something warm trickle out my nose and moved my hand to see that I was having a nose bleed. All the other kids who crowded around us began to freak out at all the blood and even the kid seemed to feel a bit guilty at what he did. My teacher and the boy's teacher came over to check on me and scold the boy.

I later went the infirmary and was laying on the bed humming a song from an anime I watched with my older sister. I was starting to get sleepy when a sudden "BANG!" from the infirmary door being slammed open and a teary cry of "SHINONOME-KUN!" broke me from my stupor.

I sat up to see who had called me, but a blur of brown slammed into my stomach and almost knocked me off the freakin' bed. I felt the breath leave my lungs and found myself in the spine crushing hug one Sawada Tsunayomi was currently giving me.

"Omph! W-What the heck!? Sawada what are you doin'?!" Sawada was trembling in my lap and I could feel her tears seeping through my shirt. What the heck? What's up with her? Was she bullied again ‘cause I wasn't with her? Was it that one jerk? Geez, I'm gone for an hour and he's already on the move! How troublesome.

I sighed, sitting up slightly and wincing as Sawada's grip tightened around my mid-section.

"Sawada?" I began, getting sniffles in response. "Oi Sawada! What the heck's wrong with you?!"

She sniffled and cried some more before giving me a muffled answer as her face was still buried in my stomach. "What have I said about talkin' to me in ways I can't understand you?" I deadpanned, and she stilled at the tone.

"Get off me." I asked in a softer tone and after a few more moments, she nodded her head before moving away and looking at me with teary eyes.

"Now once again, what the heck is wrong with you?" She looked close to crying again, but this time she rubbed the tears away before they fell.

"T-Tsu-chan was in the classroom drawing a picture f-for mama and Shinonome-kun when some-someone came in and said you we-were hurt and b-bleeding!" She finished with a loud cry covering her eyes as she began to bawl. "Ts-Ts-Tsu-chan w-w-was so scared! Waah~!"

I sighed before pinching my nose at all the noise. This was so troublesome…

I removed my hand from my face, raised it up, and gave her a quick karate chop to the head, making her stop crying with a yelp. She held her hands where I hit her, and she stared at me in bewilderment while I stared back at her blankly.

"Quit all that cryin', you're givin' me a headache." I stated blandly, and she looked down in guilt.

"Tsu-chan's sorry..."

I sighed, rolling my eyes before giving her an awkward pat on the head. I looked away, embarrassed at what I was doing and stared at the window. I couldn't see her face, but I could practically feel her eyes on me, most likely wide with shock.

"...There's nothin' wrong with me alright? I just had a little nose bleed is all. That jerk kid threw a ball at me and I couldn't get out of the way in time, but I'm fine now so just stop cryin' already."

I looked back to see her expression and just as I predicted, she was looking at me with that silly, awed expression on her face before it blossomed into another happy smile that had become much more common than in the past. I found myself smiling at the fact before lying back down on the bed. I kept my eyes closed for a bit before opening them to look at Sawada. She had a curious look on her face and I patted the side of the bed impatiently.

"Are you just gonna stare at me all day or are you goin’ to lie down?" Her face grew bright red at my question and she began to flail her arms around in alarm.

"W-What?!" She yelped in shock, holding her hands to her red cheeks. "I-I can't! Th-That's too embarrassing a-and-!" I looked at her unimpressed and turned on my side away from her.

"Alright if you say so." Just thought I'd ask. If she didn't want to I wasn't going to force her, though I did feel a little disappointed. Oh well...

I closed my eyes and waited for her to leave, but to my pleasant surprise I felt her move towards me until she had her face buried in my back. I felt her warmth seep through my clothes and began to relax even more. It was oddly comforting…

"...S-Shinonome-kun?" Sawada whispered as I began to fall asleep.

"Hn?" I mumbled. It should be around nap time right now...

"...W...We're...friends...right?"

I played her words around my sluggish mind for a bit before answering.

"...Yeah..." And I meant it. Sawada was my first actual friend and I think it's safe to think the same applied to her. So yes, I do think we're friends, albeit weird ones.

I could feel Sawada's happy aura from my answer and I smiled, slowly fading to dream land.

"Y-Yeah...Tsu-chan and Shinonome-kun will be friends  ** _forever and ever and ever_**..."

I didn't really think much about what she said when I was half asleep. I just thought of it as a innocent little phrase of a young girl who was happy to have a friend. But now though, a few years later in the future, the actual bloody truth behind those words should have sent warning bells in my mind. But, since they didn't and my stupid, dense five-year-old self had no idea of the troublesome terror that was waiting for him in the future. My fate, unfortunately, had already been set in motion.

Now that I think about it, when the boy who threw the ball at me dropped out of school the very next day due to a _"serious medical leave"_  , I could have sworn Sawada was in an unusually good mood.

Huh? Guess that explains everything...


	2. Rainy Smiles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone~! I'm back with a new chapter! I would just like to say thanks to everyone for all the positive feedback I got from this story! I honestly didn't think it would do so good! Sadly I don't think I did as good on this chapter as I did for the last so I hope you can enjoy it! Also you know how I said there was gonna be crack in this chapter? Well uh...this chapter kinda got a bit...sad so yeah (Speaking of which, Okay real talk right quick! I would like to say that I don't condone Shinonome's actions and implore that you only use the tough love tactic as a last result only. It may have worked here, but I have no promises that it will work in real life so be cautious!) Actually not sure when the crack will appear, probably around two more chapters...But anyway I hope you like what I have here! (P.S. Sorry for the massive chapter...I didn't think I wrote over 10,000 words...oh well~^^;)  
> Anyway please comment and favorite!
> 
> Disclaimer~: I do not own KHR or any of it's iterations. I only own Shinonome and his family~!

_**Chapter 2: Rainy Smiles** _

* * *

So yeah, how did you guys enjoy getting a little insight of my childhood stupidity? I guess you can say it was cute or whatever but hey, it's your opinion...

Believe it or not, Sawada wasn't the last weird girl I would meet as a kid nor as an adult. In fact, it seems that the more I met, the more troublesome they'd act. Maybe I was a crazy girl magnet or something...?

If my memory serves me correct, I can remember at least a few girls who I met and back when I was five. One in Namimori and the rest in different cities and places my parents would take me to for various reasons. I wouldn't even bother to tell you about it, but since the girls that I'm talking about have to do a lot with my current and disturbingly lethal situation, I'm going to have to...How troublesome...

So sorry for the long story that can't be short, but if you're truly curious then I suggest you sit back and relax.

I guess I can get started with the girl in Namimori first.

* * *

Okay, so this was when I was around six I think and my mom, my dad, and I were going to a funeral. One of their friend's named Yamamoto Mizu from high school died in a car accident and we were going to pay our respects.

They seemed to be very good friends considering how subdued and somber my eccentric mother and loud father were. I was also sad about his death, though my feelings were predictably nothing compared to my parents. I didn't know him as well as they did, but I do remember how whenever he would come over to our house to talk with my dad or bring some food, he would smile at me while giving me a homemade giant rice ball the size of my head. Mr. Yamamoto was nice, and his cooking was on par with Sawada's mom.

We left the house and it looked as if it were about to be a real storm out. Thick, dark, near black clouds obscured the sky and you could hear the ominous roll of thunder in the distance. A strong wind blew the dead Winter leaves around into chaos and over it, I could remember my dad mutter wryly under his breath with a strained smile.

"Nice day out isn't it?" Yes, it was corny, but the bitter tone my father said it in seemed to darken the atmosphere even more. Despite it being so long ago, I could remember how quiet and...somber the streets were. It was as if all of Namimori was mourning Mr. Yamamoto's departure from earth. It was a long walk to the place where we were going to pay our respects and when we made it I was surprised that we stopped at a sushi place I would often pass on my way to school. I went there once or twice, and I remember how delicious the sushi was there, which was only natural as this was where Mr. Yamamoto lived apparently...

The faded words of _Takasushi_ was displayed before my eyes while my teary-eyed, stone faced mother lead me up to the entrance by my hand. My father slid the door open and the suppressing aura from outside was nothing compared to the inside. The lively restaurant I remembered seeing the last time I was here was nowhere to be seen. Everything was almost pin drop silent only broken by sobs, sniffles, and low whispers and mutters. My parents and I walked in only gaining a few looks our way. My father seemed to be looking for someone and once his eyes laid on a familiar woman, he patted my mother's shoulder and they both advanced quickly towards her.

I recognized the woman as the owner of the restaurant, Yamamoto Tsuyoshie, who was just as nice as Mr. Yamamoto from the few times that I saw her. She was always smiling and laughing and despite the wrinkles under her eyes, was lively and spry as if she was still in her youth.

Now that energetic woman was nowhere to be seen...

Ms. Yamamoto was staring unblinkingly at the wall with an empty look in her once brown eyes. She was sitting seiza style and was hardly moving a muscle. I could see dry tear stain marks on her cheeks and the anguished aura she was exuding even made me feel sorry for her. It was obvious she loved her husband dearly and his death just broke her heart.

"Yoshie-chan..." My mother called out worriedly (her usually stoic face dyed in a foreign expression of visible concern) and kneeled down to hug Ms. Yamamoto. The black-haired woman didn't seem to acknowledge my mother's embrace and I had the distinct feeling that the woman probably didn't even know where she was at the moment.

"Yoshi...how are you feeling?" My father grimaced in concern and I was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question.

Yamamoto-san didn't move for a few moments before blinking slowly, turning to look at my mother who was still holding her while silently crying.

"...Miyu-chan...Hiro-kun..." Ms. Yamamoto uttered in a whisper, voice harsh from the sobbing she must have done before we got here. My parents flinched at the broken empty tone Ms. Yamamoto spoke in and I could feel a large knot in my chest grow and tighten from it.

"Y-Yoshie-chan...oh god Yoshie-chan!" My mother cried softly, heartbroken with tears running down her cheeks. She hugged Ms. Yamamoto tighter while my father knelt down and did the same. That was all they could do, hell what else _could_ they do? They knew their words of condolences and grief would sound fake when they’d say it. After all my dad was still alive so it's not like my mom could empathize. That didn't mean that they couldn't console her without words though…

She stared at my mother and father as the light was slowing seeping back in her eyes. Her dull brown eyes, once dead and empty, began to shine and glaze with anguish and despair and though I knew it may sound cruel, I was actually happy to see those tears. It was a relief to just see emotion on her face rather than sickly pale nothingness that was once there.

Her face twisted up with an intense whirlwind of sorrow before she seemed to melt in my parents embrace and began to sob. Gut wrenching grief filled cries came from Ms. Yamamoto and even I felt like crying myself when I saw just how...shattered she was...it was something I've never witnessed before compared to the tears of the kids who fell and scraped their knees or threw tantrums. Even Sawada's tears when Natsu fell in that mud couldn’t compare

...It was…scary now that I think of it...how losing someone can cause that much pain...it made me wonder if I would be like Ms. Yamamoto one day...crying so deeply for someone I loved and lost...if Sawada or her mom died, if Mom or Dad or my family died...

I...I didn't really know how to respond to such raw emotion like this so I just stood there, staring at the weeping form of three friends who had lost someone near and dear to their hearts...

I'm not sure how much time passed, but after a while, Ms. Yamamoto seemed to have passed out from all the crying and was leaning on my mom's shoulder, sleeping. My mother was stroking her hair similar to how she would stroke mine when I was scared or hurt myself doing stupid crap, her usually blank expression worn down by fatigue and tears. My dad had his head in his right hand and he looked so much older than I could ever remember. I was still standing there looking like an idiot with an uncomfortable expression on my face. I was still reeling over the sudden and harsh introduction to life...or at least the painful side to it...I was still a kid after all. I did know of the concept of death, but I guess I didn't really know the full implications of it until now.

My mom seemed to finally notice my discomfort and beckoned me forward. I shuffled closer to her and she pulled me into a one-armed hug, placing a motherly kiss on my forehead.

"Oh sweetie...you poor thing...y-you must be so upset right now..."

I nodded solemnly before she pulled back with a small smile, almost non-existent to anyone who wasn't close enough to her to differentiate her seemingly emotionless expressions. "It must be hard for you to be stuck in such an unhappy atmosphere, right?"

My dad looked at me grimly before pulling me from my mom and giving me a strong hug. "Sorry you had to see this m'boy...you're probably scared shitless right now huh?" I nodded once more, my face buried in my father's broad chest, feeling him exhale deeply.

"Hey,” He began after a few moments of silence. I looked up to see him looking at me with an enlightened expression, as if he had just remembered something. “How about you go find Takara and hang out with her huh? Lord knows she needs as much, maybe even more cheering up that Yoshi right now."

My mother gasped in horror and her half-lidded eyes widened in panic, as if she too, just remembered something. "O-Oh my god, Takara! How could I have forgotten about her? Oh, she must be so devastated right now..." My mom looked close to crying again while I just looked at the two of them with a confused look. Takara? Who was that?

My dad seemed to recognize the look on my face, chuckling softly and tousling my hair. "Yeah, I guess you would be confused seeing as the two of you go to different schools. Takara is Mizu's and Tsuyoshie's daughter and she's the same age as you!" I blinked at the information while my mother wiped away a stray tear.

"Poor girl...such a sweet little thing too...oh Daiki, can you please go find her and cheer her up?...I know she'll feel better if there's another child around...she should be upstairs in her room...it's the farthest room to the right..."

I grimaced at the thought of having to find the other girl...don't get me wrong it's not like I thought it was bothersome or anything. It's just that...I didn't really want to deal with anymore crying than I already had...of all the things I hated, crying was number one as I couldn’t handle it. The only thing that would beat that would be girls crying.

My mom smiled softly on the look on my face before gently pushing me towards the stairs. "It's alright Daiki, I know my strong little baby can help her out..." I grumbled at the fact that I was just called a baby as well as strong. What a contradicting statement...

I sighed mumbling a sullen "Alright" and made my way to the stairs. As I stood in front of the steps, I gulped as an eerie feeling slowly crept into my mind...like the feeling of a bunch of baby spiders were crawling up my body. I turned back to my parents and their small, yet encouraging smiles made me sigh once more and I made my way up the stairs.

Step after the step the feeling grew, and I was starting to get goosebumps...while the downstairs was suffocating with grief, the upstairs was chocking with...darkness...it was so dark that I began to think I couldn't safely see where I was going. I stumbled for a light switch and found it, flicking it up. I was suddenly bathed with light and white spots danced in my vision from the sudden brightness. I blinked a few times and got adjusted promptly before looking around. I looked towards the door that my mom said Takara was in and I felt something in me stutter at the sight of it. It looked like any other door I had ever seen. Wood, knob, and all with a blue sign with baseball related pictures and stickers with Takara's name spelled out in neat lettering. The door was innocent enough, but the exuding aura...not so much.

Despite the light being on, the darkness was just as prominent and stifling as before. I actually started to become tempted to just go back downstairs and lie saying I talked to her, but I knew that plan wouldn't work. My mom had eyes like a hawk, so she could always tell when I'm lying. Besides, it was stupid of me to be so afraid of some door. What was the worse it could do? Bite me? With that reassuring thought, I stood a bit taller and more alert and I began to make my way towards the door, but with each step I felt more and more unsure of being sure...

Much quicker than I would've liked, I made it to the door and stood in front of it's tall, imposing form...I slowly raised my arm, gulping down the knot in my throat before knocking on it. My knocks echoed throughout the silent hallway and I flinched at how loud it had been...There was no response...

I knew then and there that I could have just walked away...just go downstairs, say she wouldn't let me in, sit with mom and dad, and watch as my parents would try to console Ms Yamamoto-san whenever she woke up...it was so easy to do so instead continue trying...much less troublesome...

I knocked on the door once more with a bit more force...still no response...

This was my last chance to leave and I knew it...somehow, I just knew...

Instead of knocking this time, I lifted a shaky hand towards the door knob and felt a chill run through my hand when I touched the ice cold metal...

...I slowly turn the knob and pushed...

It was pitch black in the room and light from the hallway spilled in from the crack that I made. I slowly opened the door bit by bit and I suddenly had the strange feeling of being in a horror movie. I felt like that one idiot who would go investigate a mysterious noise from up in the attic and would proceed to get mauled by the demon who was behind them the whole time...this thought did not soothe my nerves at all...

The door was all the way open and I stared at the room. It wasn't the first time I've been in a girl's room as I've been in Sawada's a couple of times since we met. The differences between this room and her's was uncanny. While Sawada's room was painted a bright cream orange, Takara's room was painted a baby blue. They both had stuffed animals, but Sawada's cotton army outweighed Takara's by a mile. Takara's room was mostly filled with baseball related stuff rather than dolls and other girly crap Sawada had in her room. From posters, to jerseys, to knick-knacks, it was obvious to tell that the Yamamoto girl had a keen interest in the sport.

As I was looking around, a loud  _'THUMP'_  echoed in the room and it took all my self-control not to yelp in surprise. I stared towards where I heard the sound and in the most unsettling way possible...a simple baseball rolled from out the shadows and into the yellow light from the hallway, stopping just from my elongated and disfigured shadow.

My heart thumped in my chest like a bongo, but I began to chuckle at myself for being scared by a stupid ball. I mean sure, the noise was loud but come on! It seems Sawada's tendency to be scared and freak out at everything was beginning to rub off on me. I shook my head, still chuckling, before walking in and going to pick up the fallen baseball. I was reaching down, finger tips barley touching the stitched ball when my blood froze. I could have _sworn_ I heard the threatening growl of a dog...a really big dog...I could hear it's deep rumbling growls from  _behind_ me and I broke out into a cold sweat when I felt it's lethal presence direct its attention at me.

I stood up straight and whipped my head around so fast I was surprise to not have gotten whiplash. I turned just in time to see the sharp, narrowed brown eyes of the dog before the door slammed shut and I was sealed in darkness.

Now I remember thinking to myself that if there was a good time to freak out, then now was the  ** _FUCKING_**   ** _TIME_**. I was just about to follow my panicked brains advice, but before that, I could hear a faint click and realized, to my growing horror, that the dog had just  ** _LOCKED_** the door and that was super not okay. Another click followed and I was thankfully bathed in light again. Those white dots came back, and I rubbed at my eyes as fast as I could before blinking them open and staring at the big scary dog that somehow has opposable thumbs and the intelligence to close and lock mother fricken doors!

But what I saw wasn't a dog or even big...what I saw was a mini Ms. Yamamoto.

Mini Yamamoto was standing right where I thought the monster dog was. She had long black hair put in low pig tails with black ribbons and was wearing a black dress with white stockings, and black flats. Though I was glad to see that the big dog was in fact just a little girl, the fact that the little girl was in fact the big dog disturbed me more than it should’ve.

But there was another thing about the girl that scared me…

She was  _smiling…_

The girl whose father just died, whose mother had essentially fallen apart at the seams, whose family just changed forever was _smiling_...

A big happy _smile_...

That sent a chill down my spine.

This was  ** _NOT_**  normal, even to a dumb kid like me. People at wakes, let alone the daughter of the deceased, shouldn't be smiling unless the person who died was the biggest jerk off on the planet and from the times I met Mr. Yamamoto and the huge mournful turn-out at his wake, that wasn't the case.

So, I stood there just like a did when I was watching Ms. Yamamoto break down in my parents arms earlier, staring in both freight and bewilderment.

The silence was so thick that you could cut it with a knife and the girl ( _‘Takara’_ , my mind supplied obviously) seemed to be just as dangerous as one.

Takara tilted her head in curiosity, big brown wide eyes and bright smile on her lips and spoke.

"Hiya!"

I flinched back from the cheerful greeting and unsurely raised my hand, weakly waving back.

"..."

Takara giggled happily before taking a step towards me...I took a step back in response...

Either ignoring or ignorant of this, she walked closer to me until she was about three feet away from me. Now that she was closer I took a look at her eyes and shivered when I saw them. They were dull and hazy, as if someone turned off the light in them. It was such a glaring contradiction to the cheery smile that was plastered on her face.

"Hey! I've never seen you before! What's your name?" She asked me in a bubbly tone and I gulped in trepidation. The last thing I wanted to do was introduce myself to this chick, let alone talk to her! How she was acting was so different compared to her mom and yeah, I understood that she must've been in a lot of mental stress from the sudden death of her father, but how she was acting was just...unsettling! It was as if she wasn't bothered by the death of her father at all! But those eyes told a different story...those brown orbs, almost black from the lack of emotion in them, was chilling. No child should have eyes like that. In fact, nobody should...

In my frantic musings, Takara didn't move an inch and she kept staring at me with those freaky eyes! I cleared my throat and began to rub the back of my neck.

"A-Ah...isn't it rude to ask people their names without introducin' themselves first? What about you?" I had no idea what possessed me to say that! Takara looked slightly shocked at what I said, and her plastic smile dropped for just a second before it came back just as artificial as before. Hell, even I was taken aback by my response and I was the dumb ass who said it!

The raven-haired girl hummed and began to rock back and forth on her toes and the back of her feet. "He~! Sorry about that! You're right, I forgot that papa told me to always be polite and introduce myself first!” The girl lifted up her hand for a handshake, tilting her head slightly. “My name is Yamamoto Takara! Now, will you tell me yours?"

I was still nervous being alone with this girl for far longer than I would've liked and though I'd probably given anything to get out of this current situation, I knew that I had to suck it up and at least talk to the chick. I was just gonna make it quick and get this over with...

"Shinonome Daiki..."

I was surprise to see Takara's blank eyes sparkle with just a tiny bit of recognition and excitement, not seeming bothered that I didn’t accept her handshake. "Whoa~! So, _you're_ Aunt Miyu and Uncle Hiro’s son that they told me about?! You're waaay~ taller than I thought you would be!"

I inwardly grumbled at her surprise, despite me still being wary of her. "I get that a lot..."

"So, why are you in my room? Did you want to play or something?” She asked before happily perking up in sudden thought. “Oh! We can play baseball or catch! Though~ papa said that I can't on rainy days, but since you're here, maybe he'll let us~!" She cheered in excitement and I began to frown at what she just said. My heart seemed to make a weird stutter and I began to feel that wariness in my brain increase...what she just said...wasn't right...

"...Um...Yamamoto-"

"Ew! Don't call me that! That's what people call mama and papa! Just call me Takara!" She asked rocking back and forth again and that tight feeling from earlier grew tighter and tighter as the girl continued to exude exuberance. With how she was acting, with how she was smiling, I knew she could have looked that part of a cheerful and happy little girl. She would've if it wasn't for those eyes. Those wide haunted eyes that made me want to close mine and not have to look at them anymore. I gulped my nonexistent saliva to parch my dry throat and began to address Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto-" I ignored the pout she gave me when I called her, her last name again. "What you just said right now...what do you mean by that?"

Takara tilted her head curiously and you could just see the question mark above her head, expressing her confusion. "What do you mean? I just said I wanted you to call me Ta-"

"No." I said sternly, cutting her off. "What you just said...about your dad...what do you mean by that?" Slowly her confusion turned to recognition and she giggled once more waving her hand dismissively.

"Duh silly~! Did you already forget? I meant that when papa comes home I was gonna ask him if we can play catch in the backyard! It's suuuper~ boring downstairs and I've been in my room forever~!" Yamamoto groaned exaggeratedly, and it would've been cute on any other day...but it was not any other day and her words just confirmed that. My suspicions were answered and unfortunately, they were answered in the worst way possible.

 _'When he comes back home?'_  what the hell...? What did she mean by that!? She did know that her dad was...dead right? His wake was happening right now! Like, as we speak! How could she-!?

Yamamoto stared at me curiously and I never felt so scared of a person as I did now. This girl...she...she really didn't know-? But that's impossible! She of all people should know! She should know...but...what if she...?

Slowly, cautiously, as if I was trying not to trigger a dangerous beast to attack, I took a step towards Yamamoto and held my hands up slightly in front of me. "Uh...Yamamoto...I need you to listen carefully..."

I did  ** _NOT_**  want to be the one to tell her. It was bad enough with her not knowing, but I felt as if it would be very...dangerous for her to know the truth. I was just six! I didn't know anything about tact yet! Besides she looked perfectly fine to me! All giggles and smiles without a care in the world. I honestly should've just not brought the topic up at all and had one of the adults break the news to her. In fact, every bone was screaming at me to just leave immediately...but I...I don't know...I just couldn't. I knew I was once again deluding myself into thinking that everything was fine. To look only at the surface and not below it.

On the outside Yamamoto was just peachy, but on the inside, she was a devastated girl who couldn't cope with the truth. I didn't know why she couldn't, but the fact was that she just couldn't...not in the _“normal'_ ” way at least.

Once again, I must implore that I wasn't a very emotional person. Well, at least not as much as the average six-year-old. I just couldn't look at people and immediately tell when and where they were in pain. That was mostly Sawada's thing really. For the few months I've gotten to know her, I realized that while she was a grade ‘A’ air-head, she was freakishly observant. She could always tell when someone was having a bad day, be it our classmates, our teacher, strangers on the street, or even me; she always knew and she always went out of her way to make whoever was sad or upset to be happy. People (well, those who didn’t bully her and took the time to know her) seemed to be drawn into her smile and it made me happy knowing that she was slowly, but surely coming out of her shell. I felt proud of her, like an older brother watching his little sister do something amazing...I may have been a wee~bit jealous at how much she was progressing, but could you blame me!?

A-anyway now isn't the time to be reminiscing and crap! What I'm basically trying to say is that I was an emotionally stunned boy with no tact or subtlety. I was the last person to come to for crap like relationship advice and all that and while I may have been bad at stuff like this, I knew I needed to just follow Sawada's lead and hopefully say something that could knock Yamamoto out of this disturbed state of hers. With this thought in mind, I nodded resolutely while Takara just hummed curious amusement.

"Sure! Go ahead!" She chirped, and I put my hands securely on her shoulders. Here goes nothing...

"Yamamoto...you do know your dad is…dead right?"

...You thought I was over-exaggerating when I said I had about as much subtlety as a firework didn't you? Well that'll teach you not to assume things from now on okay?

The two of us stood as still as statues, the silence thick and oppressing with the howling winds from outside being the only source of sound.

It was as if the wind was taunting me, whispering out insults such as- _'Way to go asshole~' 'Did you honestly just say that~?' 'What the fuck is wrong with you~?'_ and so on.

...And I can say with enough confidence that past and present me would agree with it...we men of the Shinonome family are very direct when it comes to situations that we aren't used to and can't handle. My father, for example, was much more vocal and physical about it than me. His form of comfort was taking you out to work out until you were so exhausted, that you would be too tired to feel sad about anything anymore.

Yamamoto hadn't moved a single inch since my insensitive announcement and neither had I. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, and her wide smile was frozen in place, like someone super glued it there.

I remember eternally freaking out, thinking I broke her or something, but my panic was abated when Yamamoto broke out into a fit of giggles. A chill when straight down my spine like a sub-zero icicle. Those were the giggles you would hear in a nursery rhyme song in an exorcist movie. Her giggles went on for a disturbingly long time, her eyes closed and hand concealing her mouth, until they abruptly stopped along with my heart.

"...What are you talking about silly~?” She asked, lowering her hand and crossing her arms behind her back. “Papa's not dead! He's just out right now buying food for a huge feast tonight! Why else do you think all those people are here for? We're having a party~!"

At this point, I was starting to realize an hour too late that I was way in over my head. Yamamoto was starting to act just like those crazy people I would see on T.V. or anime! She was in denial and I don't think she was coming out of it soon. I knew good and well that my _“sensitivity”_ would probably make things worse and would most likely get me hurt, but I promised that I wasn't just going to leave this girl by herself. What she was going through wasn't healthy and I at least had to do something!

I tightened my grip on her shoulders, causing her to snap her eyes open with a somewhat ominous flash. Despite that, I stared her dead in the eyes, ignoring how her face still hadn't changed from before. I absently found myself thinking if her cheeks hurt from smiling like that for so long.

"No...No he's not...you...you have to at least know that...?"

Something in Yamamoto's eyes seemed to shift at my insistence and a weird vibe began to fill the air.

"Of course he is! Where else would he be!?"

"He would be dead, that's what he would be..."

"You shouldn’t say things like that!" The weird feeling in the air grew more and more toxic and I felt a bead of nervous sweat trickle down my temple. I could see from the corner of my eye that Yamamoto was beginning to clench her fist, but her expression was still stubbornly unchanged; wide eyed completed with a grin. "Why would you say such mean things!? My papa's not dead, he's just out shopping like always! In a few hours he'll be back and-"

"He won't be back. You and I both know this.  _Especially_  you."

The air was becoming thicker and thicker and there was also a charge there. Like the room was filling with gas and I was trying to strike a match. I knew I should've been gentler with my words. I didn't want to make her cry and the  ** _LAST_**  thing I wanted to do was bring more hurt and pain to this girl, but I knew I had to say these words. How many adults sugar coated their words so they wouldn't break a six year old girl's heart? How many talked to her as if she was ignorant of her surroundings and thought _"Oh, she's only a child! She wouldn't understand even if we told her straight to her face."_ Obviously, they had no ill intentions or thoughts when they were only trying to keep Yamamoto's heart from shattering. They meant no harm, but didn't realize that they were probably doing more damage than I was.

Kids aren't stupid. Naive? Yes. Stupid? No. They know what goes on around them, they just see it in their way. Kind of like seeing a completely different world than adults do. Kids may be cruel, but they're just telling the truth and saying what’s on their minds. As I said before, when you're a kid you don't have as much of a conscience as you do when you're an adult. You're more truthful about your feelings and won't hesitate to tell people what you think when you see fit. So you may find it cold that I said such things, but I honestly couldn't do much else. Sugar coating my words would be too long and drawn out and I didn't have the time nor patience to sit here and try to put her father's death in the nicest way possible. She needed to know the truth and I was going to tell her the truth.

"…I have no idea what you are talking about..." Yamamoto's frozen expression was starting to shift ever so slightly. Now, her grinning looked about as real as a mask and was starting to look tense and painful. I was positive that it was taking sheer will power to keep that smile on her face.

"Yes, you do." I answered back in a blank voice and she flinched as if I struck her instead. "I know you're not this oblivious to what's happenin' around you. For you to not know that this _“party”_ is actually a wake-"

"Stop it~!"

"To know that your father isn't comin' back-"

"…Please...stop it..."

"To know that he's actually downstairs in an urn that's in front of his picture-"

**_"Stop it...it's not funny anymore..."_ **

I stopped at the pure  ** _ice_** in her tone and realized that I may have gone a bit too far.

Yamamoto...wasn't smiling anymore...

Her face was completely blank, no smiles, no dimples, no giggling. Just blank, like a canvas with no paint...

But what really got me were her eyes...they were no longer dull and empty, which was actually a good thing, though I guess the raw anger and warning in them wasn't much better. I realize with a start that I recognized those eyes and the surrounding aura around the girl. Those eyes were of the dog from earlier...the threatening aura...the weird vibe...all of it belonging to that monster dog...and I realized one sentence too late that I may have just let it off its leash...Now nothing could stop it from attacking.

**_"You...shouldn't say things like that...papa said it's rude..."_ **

I gulped at the threat in her voice and was baffled to see that this was a child talking to me right now. A girl my age, who's tone of voice sounded just as lethal as an army that was pointing hundreds of guns and dozens of tanks at me. One wrong move and I'm screwed! What the hell was this!? All I was supposed to do was just cheer up a girl I barely knew and now look at what happened! Not only did I piss her off, but I may have just unleashed a future psychopath out into the world! This is why you shouldn't leave this kind of crap up to me...

...I say this, but I'm actually just bull shitting myself. In reality, I don't regret a single thing that I did. In fact, I'm actually a bit proud of myself under all the disgust for upsetting someone like this. I was even glad to see how angry she was here weirdly enough! Why? Because it reassured me. It showed me that she wasn't broken. Not yet. Her getting upset shows that she knows what has happened and is now trying to defend herself by violently lashing out at me...well sort of. She's still holding herself back. She's still trying to keep on clinging to that delusion of hers.

"So, let's not say such things anymore kay~!" She then chirped at me with that damn smile back on her face, a complete turnabout of her earlier anger. Not if I can help it!

I stared back at her challengingly and she flinched once more, preparing and guarding herself from my impending words.

"Oh yeah?" I asked crossing my arms and shooting her a skeptical look. "If I'm wrong, then why don't you go downstairs right now?" I tilted my head towards the door and her eyes followed my indication.

"Go downstairs right now and ask one of the adults downstairs about what's happenin'. Ask them when your dad will be back with those groceries. Ask my mom or dad if they’ll be stayin' for the party! Ask your mom if she'll be cookin' sushi for it while you’re at it! There shouldn't be anythin' wrong or weird with askin' right? After all, Mr. Yamamoto will be back in a couple of hours right?!"

I felt something bitter and slimy crawl down my throat after saying these words. Though I don't regret saying them, it doesn't mean I felt _good_ saying them. I, personally, felt like a piece of shit. Making people cry was not a pass time for me by a long shot, but these words needed to be said. She needed to hear these words no matter how painful they were.

Yamamoto gritted her teeth and even  _growled_ at me. She wasn't trying to smile now. Oh, no, she was trying to burn a hole through my skull and I couldn't blame her. If it was me in her shoes, I'd be pissed as hell too. Her eyes were filled with an anger, hurt, and sadness that made something inside me curdle at the thought that I was causing these emotions, but what really brought it home was the fact that they were also filling with tears, looking as if they were about to spill any second.

I felt disgusted with myself and my stress levels were going through the roof. There were just too many emotions to take in today and in such a short time too! This was starting to become one of the worst day of my life and though it may sound selfish when I was making a little girl cry by reminding her that her dad was dead, I couldn't really find it in me to not to feel bad for myself.

I continued my onslaught, not letting my emotions stop me now. I've gone too far to just stop now!

"What…what’s wrong with you?!" I finally asked as she clenched her fist with a white knuckled grip, as if just the sound of my voice was filling her with rage. "You were so sure just a second ago! What happened to all the confidence huh!? Just admit it already! Your dad is gone and he's not comin' back! So why do you continue to hurt yourself like this?!"

The girl clenched her eyes shut instead of answering me, turning her head to the side while biting her lip. "Tell me Yamamoto! Why are you doing this to yourself?! You're only just makin' this harder for everyone, includin' you! You need to pull it together! Did you know that your mom was down there havin' an emotional break down?! Did you know that all your loved ones are down there mournin' and grievin'?! So why are you up here alone, being in denial when you could be comfortin' them?! When they could be comfortin' _you_?!"

She still remained silent with her black bangs covering her eyes and I felt my frustration grow at the sight. "Don't you care about them?! Or do you even care?!" I slowly began to feel angry with every second she ignored me. I'm pretty sure my voice could be heard from down the street with how loud I was yelling, but I didn't care.

I just...the fact that she was just up here, living in her own little world while the rest of her family and friends were left to wallow in reality was so...selfish to me! I know that it wasn't her fault and that she wasn't doing this to hurt anyone, but at that moment I didn't care! Maybe I was just trying to get out all my pent-up emotions from the day's proceeding events. Maybe her denial was triggering something in me...making me fear the possibility that I would be just as broken if my father or anyone I loved ever died...that I wouldn't be able to cope and run away from the pain in a dream world...and to express and get rid of my unnatural fear, I was just lashing out at her...to make her  _stop..._ to-to knock her out of it! I-I don't know!  ** _I don't know dammit!_** I just wanted her to stop! To stop hurting herself an-and to stop scaring me! I just wanted her to-

 _"STOP! JUST STOP IT YAMAMOTO!"_ I screamed out and when she didn't, when she still didn't acknowledge my words, I just couldn't _take it anymore_.

**_"TAKARA!"_ **

Then _it_ happened. Something seemed to just snap inside Yamamoto like a guitar string that was strung too tight. As soon as her name left my lips, the vibe in the air exploded. I finally managed to strike the match and the gas was now replaced with a fiery inferno. She looked at me with blazing eyes and I stood my ground, not once looking away from the growling, practically  _snarling_ six-year-old girl who just couldn't take it anymore.

The damn finally broke.

 ** _"SHUT UP!"_** She roared at me, the room practically vibrating with her fury.

**_"shut up! JUST SHUT UP! You don't know anything so stop talking as if you do! Your papa isn't dead! Your mama isn't crying!”_ **

I could only stare in dumb shock, watching as Yamamoto finally unleashed the flood gates to her emotions. Everything that she had bottled up since her father died was coming out in one huge wave of heated emotion.

 **_“You don't have to smile all the time! You don't have to do anything! Don't you get it stupid?! If I stop smiling, then everything is all messed up! Papa and mama loves it when I smile! Everyone does! So, if I stop then everyone will be sad! Papa will be sad and go away forever and ever and ever! I don't want papa to go away so I have to keep smiling! For papa! For mama! For everyone! So I have to keep smiling a-a-and laughing s-so papa doesn't go away forever! So shut up! Don't say such things and talk about papa like that o-or I’ll make you stop! I swear, I’LL MAKE YOU STOP!"_ **

Yamamoto had gone close to hysterical towards the end of her rant as angry, bitter tears spilled down her cheeks like a waterfall. I was sick with myself as my past actions eventually caught up with me. I felt like I wanted to throw-up as I stared down at her miserable form. That…that wasn't like me at all...I had yelled at her like that, screamed at her for being  _selfish_ , all because I was wrongly upset at her? What the hell was wrong with me? If anyone was selfish here, it was me...but I once again, felt not an ounce of regret with my words...

Yamamoto had probably been holding these feelings inside of her for god knows how long. The constant pressure to make everyone happy and the helplessness knowing that you can't. It was a burden that many shouldn’t have. The constant pain she must have felt made my heart throb sharply. I had finally made the crack in the wall she surrounded herself with, but that wall was still standing strong. It wouldn't go down without a fight and unfortunately for her, I was going to give her one!

"Are you stupid!?" I shouted back (much calmer than before now that I had time to cool down) and she looked shocked at my outburst. "Who the heck told you to do all that!?"

" _What!?_ " She growled out at my words, eyes narrowing as the anger returned to them. She even raised her hand and made as if she were going to punch me, but I glared right back at her and quickly grabbed both of her arms in a tight grip in order to stop her. She cried out in surprise rather than pain and tried to pull out of my grasp. "W-what are you doing!? LET ME GO!  ** _LET ME GO!_** ”

"No, I will not now  ** _shut up and_** _**listen!**_ " She ignored me and continued to try to escape from my hold. Panic was beginning to set in her as she realized that doing so was impossible, causing her to struggle harder. "Why would you put yourself through such a thing!?" I continued, ignoring her struggling. "You’re just a kid! For someone who probably can't do long division, you sure are confident in making sure everyone is happy!"

Yamamoto went back to her mantra of  _"shutupshutupshutup"_  and I continued giving her the business. She  _needed_  to hear these words. "Do you think that your dad wanted you to do this!? Yes, he loved your smiles! Everyone does! But what you’re doing isn’t healthy! Smiling in a way that just hurts you! Your father wouldn't want you to do this and I know you know this too!"

Yamamoto's pleads had degraded into whimpers and I felt absolutely horrible, but I had to!  ** _I just had to!_**

"Yamamoto, don't do this to yourself anymore! Stop before it gets worse and then you'll never be able to smile again!" No one should ever be forced to smile, no matter how cheesy it sounds. If we have the choice to be sad or not, then we should at least have the free will to be happy or not.

Yamamoto gritted her teeth at my words before she suddenly shoved me away from her. I stumbled back, shocked at her sudden burst of strength, and I fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. By the time I looked up, I saw the brown eyed girl slam open the door and speed down the hall.

"Ah-crap! _Yamamoto!_ ” I stood up quickly and began to follow her. I may have had longer legs then her, but she was both smaller and faster than me, so I neither lost or gained distance from her. We both shot down the stairs and though we were attracting incredulous and shocked stares, I didn't give a crap as I chased after her. She made it to the door and slammed it open before running out of the restaurant and speeding down the street. I vaguely heard some of the adults call after us, asking us what was wrong and where we were going. I also thought I heard my mother say something, but I ignored their calls and continued after the girl. I saw her go right, but when I looked she was nowhere to be seen. I gritted my teeth in frustration and looked both ways frantically.

"Damn it! I lost her!" I grounded out before going right, looking down alleyways and in to stores. Thunder rolled ominously, and the swollen grey clouds started to sprinkle a bit. I needed to find her...

I looked for Yamamoto for about an hour and it seemed like the rain got worse every minute. My black suit was soaked and I was freezing my ass off, but I kept searching. If I was cold, then Yamamoto must've been freezing! After a while I managed to make my way towards this park I randomly stumbled upon. The pouring rain continued to drench everything as I walked around the park, hoping to find at least someone who had seen her pass by.

…Instead, I found the next best thing…

A small girl in a black dress was sitting on a swing set. It was swaying back and forth slowly and I quickly made my way towards her. She didn't look up from the ground even when I was standing about a foot from her. She looked so...miserable...she was completely soaked to the bone and shivering uncontrollably. Her hair was wildly plastered against her face and I could hear tiny sobs and hiccups coming from her in breathless burst.

Finally, she looked up at me with puffy red eyes. Her face devoid of all emotion as she gave me a blank stare, as if she couldn't understand what she was seeing. I said nothing and continued to stare down at her sadly. Only the soothing sound of rain was all that could be heard...

Finally, Yamamoto broke the silence...

"...P...Papa, Mama, and I would come here every Sunday...” She began, tone soft and hoarse from all the yelling and crying. “We would have a picnic near that giant tree over there and feed the ducks near the pond...af...after that...papa would take me to the swing set and would push me...I would laugh and mama and papa would laugh...I...I...I w-would smile and t-they would smile too! I would have so much fun and then after playing so much, I would get sleepy and pa-papa would carry me on his b-back..."

Fat tears mixed with large raindrops and she fell off the swing and to her knees, making a splash as she fell into a puddle. "D-Do you know what papa would say to me as he carried me on his back?!” She asked through harsh, body wracking sobs, covering her eyes with her hands. “H-He said to never lose my smile! To always smile when I'm h-happy and to make others happy and to never forget how to be happy!"

She continued to weep as her body fell against mine limply. It was as if all her fight just left at once and she had nothing to keep her standing anymore. I went down to my knees as well and hugged her tightly, remembering Ms. Yamamoto’s break down from earlier. How she couldn't hold it in anymore and collapsed into the warm embrace of my parents arms. Their unconditional love and support that was conveyed not through words, but through actions. How relieved she must have felt when she realized that she wasn't alone, that she had someone to fall back on. I wondered if Yamamoto felt like that then. When I held her in my arms as she clutched at my shirt with an iron grip.

At that moment, everything was still and calm and I simply held on to her, fearing that if I let go, she would go back down that dark, lonely path once more.

"...I...I miss papa... _I miss him so much!"_

I continued to rub soothing circles on her back, using my body to shield her from the rain as much as I could. "I'm sure he misses you too...and how he's proud with how strong you've been...but now it's time for you to stop being strong and to work on getting’ that smile back...stop tryin’ for others and just focus on you...trust me, it's a lot easier when you've got your own emotional baggage sorted out..." She didn't say anything at my words, only sobbed...

She cried and cried and cried…until she finally passed out...

When I saw this, I pulled my suit jacket off and covered her with it. It probably wouldn't do anything as it was sopping wet, but it would at least shield her from the brunt of the storm. I gently picked her up bridal style and hurriedly made my way back to Yamamoto's house, being careful not to jostle her unnecessarily.

We made it back in about half the time it took me to find her and we were greeted by the worried stares and scoldings of the adults. Ms. Yamamoto seemed to have woken up around the time we were gone and worriedly took hold of her daughter, thanking me with a small smile and bright eyes (still dark, yet much brighter than before) for finding her. I simply shook my head and advised her to talk to Yamamoto once she woke up. I did my part, whether it was for the best or worst, so now it was Ms. Yamamoto’s turn. Honestly, this day was far too troublesome for my taste...

After that, my parents and I left the restaurant with my father carrying me on his back. I don't remember when I fell asleep during the walk to my house, but I do remember telling both my parents that I loved them before doing so, being lulled to sleep by the comforting beat of my dad's steady heart.

* * *

A week later, exactly seven days on Sunday, I made my way back to _Takasushi_. I asked my parents how Ms. Yamamoto and Yamamoto were fairing since the wake, and they said they were doing much better. They also told me that they were moving away for a few years and that they won't be coming back for a while. When I heard that, I knew I just had to give the other girl a going away present.

When I got to the restaurant, I saw a moving truck in front of it and the girl that I was looking for was sitting on a box eating a popsicle. It was a cool, sunny day, the exact opposite from last Sunday as I felt the wind gently tousle my hair. Spring was coming soon…

Takara saw me and her eyes sparkled in joy. The tight feeling in my chest that kept growing as I walked to her house disappeared in an instant. I was fearing that when I saw her, I would be greeted by that fake, plastic smile again. Instead what I saw made me almost sag in relief. She was smiling, but it was a  _true_ smile. It was small, but genuine and life was back in the girl's eyes. There were still wisps of shadows; the grief of losing her father still not completely gone from her mind, but nowhere near as bad as last week. It's not like I expected it to, but I was still shocked at how fast she had recovered. I guess that talk with Ms. Yamamoto really did help huh?

"Daiki-kun~!" The raven-haired girl called waving the hand that didn't have the popsicle in it. I waved back lazily as she ran up to me.

"How have you been Daiki-kun!?" She asked me happily, stopping with a little jump in front of me. I shrugged and responded with a simple _"Nothin' much."_ It was the truth after all. Nothing extraordinary happened.

She giggled and began to jump up and down in place. God she sure was a hyper one...kind of like Sawada, but much more...bubbly. I smiled at the thought and looked towards the moving truck. "Hm…So you're movin' huh?"

"Yep!" She declared, nodding her head. "Mama said we were going to go and stay with our uncle in another city! He runs a ramen shop and he said mama could serve her sushi there as well!"

"Oh really? You gonna give me a discount when I come up and visit?" I asked, my stomach growling at the thought of delicious food. It would be a much better change from takeout and charred hamburger steak.

Takara's face suddenly grew serious and I flinched back on reflex. What the hell was with the glare?! The dog was starting to come back! "Daiki-kun you can't come!" She said sternly, and I could only stare in shock.

"What?! Why not?! I want food!"

Takara puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest while shaking her head. "No! Daiki-kun absolutely can't come! No way! Uh un!"

"Why not~!" I whined and she began to blush, slightly rocking back and forth on her feet with her hands behind her back.

"Because the next time I see Daiki-kun, I'm gonna become a strong, big girl who can make Daiki-kun smile~!"

I blinked, uncomprehending her words. What the heck!? What did this have to do with food?!

Yamamoto seemed to recognize the look on my face and she started to giggle some more. "Hehe~! Well, since Daiki-kun made me smile again, I wanna make you smile as well!" Her grin grew small, but still retained its happy energy. "Daiki-kun told me papa would be sad seeing me so unhappy and I didn't believe Daiki-kun. I just thought he was being a meanie and that no one would understand how I feel. But, you were right Daiki-kun! After talking with mama for a long time and remembering what you said, I realized what papa wanted was for me to be happy and for me to appreciate that happiness! To cherish it instead of ignoring it to make other people happy! So, from now on I'll have to work on making everyone happy, starting with myself!"

I stared wide eyed at the girl before me, not believing my ears. Was this really the same kid from a week ago? I smirked, oddly proud at how much she has grown, and I patted her head fondly. She looked at me with apple red cheeks and her joyful smile made me grin in turn.

"Glad you figured it out, yeah?" I asked and she nodded vigorously in agreement with me.

"Takara!" The voice of Ms. Yamamoto called out and I saw her come out from the restaurant smiling just like her daughter. She looked closer to the happy, youthful woman I saw before the death of Mr. Yamamoto and I felt relieved at that, glad that even she had made some progress.

Ms. Yamamoto spotted me next to her daughter and her smile grew wider. "Oh Daiki-kun! Are you here to see Takara and I off? How sweet~!" Ms. Yamamoto then giggled as did Takara who still had that strange blush on her cheeks. I raised an eye brow at the two females and remembered thinking that girls, whether young or old, were just weird. I didn't see how sweet it was to see a friend off, it was more considerate than anything...

Ms. Yamamoto sighed wistfully before bending down and picking up the box Yamamoto was sitting on before. "Well, I'll leave you two to say goodbye~! We'll be leaving in five minutes Takara, so say all that you can okay?"

Yamamoto nodded with a grin, but now it was more sad than happy. Ms. Yamamoto looked down at her daughter with a similar expression before walking off to the moving truck.

I also looked down at Yamamoto with a worried frown, not liking the sadness that shone in her eyes. I didn't really know the emotions that came with moving away from home since I've lived in Namimori for my whole life. I knew she must've had a bunch of friends that she would be leaving and the fact that she'll be leaving her home, the place that held memories both bitter and sweet, must’ve been hard to do.

 I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and fingered the piece of paper I placed in there, debating if I should give it to her or not. I meant it as a going away present, but I realized it might upset her instead. I showed Sawada and asked if I should give it to Yamamoto or not. I didn't even open the paper all the way before she said immediately that I should. Of course, I was skeptical. Hell, she didn't even look at what was on the paper! But something in her eyes (I could've sworn they turned slightly _orange_ for a second) seemed to convince me. I looked towards the black-haired girl and sighed at the air of uncertainty that surrounded her. So troublesome...

I reached over and awkwardly patted her head, causing her to look up at me in surprise. I turned my head away, not looking in her direction as I quickly pulled the paper out and practically shoved it in her face. I knew it was rude, but damn was it embarrassing!

"Here...take it..." I mumbled, my cheeks feeling slightly warm and she looked at me curiously, before taking the folded-up piece of paper with her hands. She unfolded it and froze at what was on it. A tiny gasp left her mouth and her eyes grew wide in surprise. She was also shaking slightly and her grip on the paper tightened, but not to the point where it would damage it. Her round, brown orbs began to fill with tears and she gave a watery smile at the picture that I drew.

It was a picture of her, her mom...and her dad...

I drew them having a picnic under a giant tree near a pond feeding ducks, like how she told me that rainy Sunday. It was crappy and nowhere near professional, but I thought it would be a nice gift to give her. I had remembered how Sawada would smile when she saw my drawings, so I just assumed she would like them too. However, her reaction made me feel like it was a bad idea. Dammit! She was gonna cry and it would be my fault  _again!_  Darn Sawada and her weird ESP! I turned around fully, about to apologize and take the picture back, when Yamamoto suddenly shot towards me and hugged me! Her arms wrapped around my waist and I could feel her tears seep through my shirt. I stood there awkwardly with my hands hovering over her unsurely before finally wrapping them around her too. This was surprising to say the least...I was expecting more...hitting.

We stood there for what felt like forever before Yamamoto let go of me to wipe her eyes with her arms. She then turned to me and gave me the biggest and happiest smile I've seen from her yet. At the bright expression on her face, I felt as if I accomplished something. It was just as fulfilling as when Sawada smiled at me when we first met. I felt my own lips pull up at the corners and we both started to laugh, her giggles and my chuckles filling the air.

Soon our five minutes were up and it was time for Yamamoto to leave. I, admittedly, felt a little sad that she was going. I wished I had more time to talk to her, but if moving was going to help her through the rest of her grieving period, then I could wait a few years for her to come back. Yamamoto turned back to me after telling her mom she would be at the truck soon.

"Daiki-kun! When I come back I'm gonna make you smile~! I'll make sure that  ** _no one will ever take your smile away~!_** Tehehe~!" And with her parting words, she hugged me one more time before running towards a waiting Ms. Yamamoto.

The Yamamoto family got in the moving truck and waved at me as they were driving away, shouting out goodbyes and thank yous while I waved back silently. I felt lighter than I had all week and I found myself smiling as I walked home.

I didn't really think much on about what Yamamoto said, only feeling oddly happy at the fact that she wanted me to never lose my smile. I didn't dwell on how eerie her tone got towards the end and I didn't know about how serious she was when she said those words to me…nor the lengths she would go to keep that promise...


	3. The Bunny and the Bear: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so to start off, this isn't a actual chapter and more of a filler! I'm kinda hitting a road block on to where I do start the chapter so I wrote this little thing to help me through to which I can happily say it did. Expect it soon since i'm on summer break and have a lot of time on my hands at the moment~! So I hope you can enjoy! Also! If you do want to see any more of these little filler stories, please give me some prompts you liked to so and I can get it done!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or any of it's iterations~! The only thing that does belong to me is Mr. Shinonome Daiki~!

**_Chapter 3: The Bunny and the Bear: Part 1_ **

Being friends with Sawada Tsunayomi was truly an experience. Whether it was good or not was up to the perspective of the individual. Never the less, it was interesting.

Sawada was, by no means, a social butterfly. Hell, she still had trouble being anything other than polite, cordial, shy and stuttery towards me even after all this time. It, admittedly, could get annoying at time times, but I couldn't blame her. The only other friend she had before she met me was a stuffed animal, so it's understandable that her skills in the social interaction department were a bit...lacking, but I digress.

Despite all these setbacks, it wasn't hard to interact with her all that much. We were both socially awkward and loners so naturally we had to have had some things in common...though you could say that we did do weird shit when we were kids...

* * *

  ** _Cooking with Sawada Mama_**

* * *

 I made my way up to Sawada's house with both of my hands in my dark grey hoodie. Sawada (after changing so many different shades of red that only professional painters could name all of them and stuttering out unintelligible gibberish for five minutes) invited me to her house to hang out. It was rather bold for her despite the amount of time and effort it took for her to utter something close to a language I could understand. It was the first time I've ever been to another person’s house and I was surprisingly excited at the prospect. I said yes, trying to keep it as cool and collected as possible, and braced myself for the joy induced hug attack she launched towards me after I answered.

I stood in front of the door, slightly anxious for some reason, and rang the doorbell after a few moments of hesitation. A soft chime ranged out and the telltale small, yet hurried pitter patters of footsteps could be heard behind the door...followed by a sudden loud _bang_ , like someone dropped something heavy on the ground, and a high pitch yelp rang out soon after. A few moments later the footsteps resumed, albeit at a slower pace, before they stopped towards the door. A few more moments of silence ensued, and the soft slide of the door came after. In the small gap of the door, I could make out a pair of large, brown doe eyes looking at me in curiosity, nervousness, and joy.

I stared at the familiar eyes for a few moments before sighing and giving them a level stare. "Now Sawada, we can stand out here all day in front of your porch, or you could be a good host and let me in." The girl's eyes widened at my words and a shocked gasp left her unseen lips before she slammed the door open the rest of the way with more force than I thought was necessary.

"S-S-Shinonome-kun! Ts-Tsu...Tsu-chan's glad you could make it to Tsu-chan's house!" She spoke with a happy flush on her cheeks before she quickly looked down to her shoes that were tapping rhythmically. "W-Why don't you c-come in!"

I nodded my head before walking into her house with her hurriedly moving out of my way. I looked around as she closed the door behind me, admiring the simple, yet cozy spacings and furnishings. It reminded me somewhat of my own house. "Hmm..."

Sawada shuffled some more before pulling on my shirt to gain my attention. I looked towards her silently and she looked up at me nervously, still red in the face. "...U...um...are you hungry? Tsu-chan could ask Mama to m-make us something..."

I looked down at her, preparing to answer, but a loud grumbling roar coming from my stomach answered for me. Sawada stared at me in surprise before she smiled and started to giggle. I remember my face growing hot in embarrassment and in retaliation, I lightly karate chopped Sawada in the head.

"Ah!" She yelped, holding the spot where I hit her and looking up at me in bewilderment. "W-Why did you do that Shinonome-kun?!" I gave her a blank stare, feeling much better and I began to chuckle myself at the funny look on her face. "Just because." Sawada pouted at me and I couldn't help but laugh some more. That was the most displeased expression I've seen her have yet…

Sawada looked as if she was going to say something else, but the voice of a woman cut her off. "Tsu-chan? Are you there?"

I watched as a woman came around the corner and I blinked in surprise as an older Sawada looked at me and little Sawada. It was obviously Sawada's mom what with the matching brown hair, warm honey eyes, and baby face. Ms. Sawada looked down at me in surprise before it melted off to reveal a warm, motherly smile. "Hello there~! You must be the Shinonome-kun Tsu-chan's been talking about!"

I blinked before nodding and bowing towards the woman. "Yes, I am ma'am. Shinonome Daiki. It's nice to meet you..." So, she talks about me at home huh?

Ms. Sawada giggled and put a hand on her cheek. "My, my~! Such a polite young man! No wonder Tsu-chan likes you so much~" At her mother's words, Sawada flinched and began to wave her hands wildly, as if trying to signal her mother about something. I watched with an amused smile as she ran up to her mom and began jumping up and down frantically.

"M-M-Mama!" She cried. "Um! S-Shinonome-kun and Tsu-chan are hungry! C-can you make us some snacks please!"

Ms. Sawada giggled some more before nodding her head in acceptance. "Un! Of course, Tsu-chan! Do you two want to help me out?"

Sawada sighed in relief before turning to me bashfully and shuffling back and forth like earlier. "T-Tsu-chan does, but what about you Shinonome-kun?"

I shrugged my shoulders, putting my hands back into my pocket. "Sure, why not? Be warned though, I might burn down your kitchen in the process."

"Wonderful! It's much more fun cooking together, right Tsu-chan?" Ms. Sawada smiled, turning towards her daughter who nodded her head in agreement. The girl rushed forward, pulling on my arm with strength not befitting such a small person, and guided me to where I assumed was the kitchen. She was talking a mile a minute and I was surprised at the usually subdued girl's bold and outgoing actions. Was she always this hyper?

It took only seven minutes for us to don our cooking apparel. Ms. Sawada was wearing a frilly orange apron with a heart on it and a matching scarf on her head. Sawada and mine's were similar, but with her's being pink with a rabbit and with mine's being blue and yellow with a cool (read, not _cute_ ) bear.

"Wah~! You two look so cute in those! Here! Smile~!" Ms. Sawada cooed before suddenly whipping out a camera from out of nowhere and snapping a few pictures. I frowned at being called cute while Sawada held on to my shirt sleeve with a small, red faced smile. After a few more pictures, Ms. Sawada put the camera away and smiled down at us once more. "Why don't we make some rice balls for lunch ne~? You like rice balls don't you Shinonome-kun?"

Rice balls? I loved rice balls! They were my favorite things to eat when my family and I would go to the convenience store and get food after another of my mother's failed cooking attempts. I smiled and nodded my head enthusiastically, which prompted her to straighten out and pump her fist. "Yosh! Let's get cooking then!"

"Osu!" Sawada and I agreed raising our fist in the air. The next hour was spent with us boiling rice and making fillings for the rice balls as well as cutting out nori sheets. While Ms. Sawada was cutting some of the more knife required fillings for the balls, Sawada was preparing the simple ones like the konbu and what not while I was tasked with the nori. I was getting bored just cutting out simple rectangles, so I decided to get a bit creative. I cut out heart shapes, cat shapes, bears, rabbits, and other stuff I thought the two females would like and I started to get into it after a bit. Hey, what can I say? It was fun.

"...Ah! It's a kitty!" Sawada gasped happily, staring at the cat shaped seaweed cut outs I made with a gleam in her eye. I looked towards her quickly before going back to cutting up the bunny one I had in my hand.

"...You could have those if you want...I made them for you..." Sawada looked at me in shock and I avoided her look as I felt my face grow a little hot again.

"R-Really?!...you made these for Tsu-chan?!" She asked, and I nodded my head, wordlessly picking up another sheet. She stared at me for a few more seconds before her face went as red as a stop light.

"T-Thank you Shinonome-kun!"

"Un..."

While this was going on, we didn't notice Ms. Sawada watching and were only alerted by her presence when she started to giggle. We turned to see her looking at us with both hands on her cheeks as she swiveled in place...What the heck? "Ah~! You two are so cute together~! It reminds me of when your papa and I had our first date!"

I lifted an eyebrow in confusion while Sawada turned an even darker shade of red and began to do that weird, funny flailing thing. "HIIIEEE! M-Mama! What are you saying?! W-we're not-! I mean-I guess we-no wait!-ahhh!"

I looked back and forth between the two red faced women and I couldn't help but think about that saying I heard my dad say a while ago. The apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree. Man were girls weird...

Once the rice balls were made we sat at the kitchen table with glasses of apple juice for all of us. "Itadakimasu~!" We chorused before picking up our respective rice balls and dug in. It was really good, like  _really_  good. It may be simple, but it was probably one of the best things I ate since forever!

"Ma~food tastes even better when you make it together ne?" Ms. Sawada bubbled, and I couldn't help but silently agree. Maybe if I could get her to teach my mom how to cook, she'd at least stop burning down our kitchen.

* * *

  ** _The roof is on fire_**

* * *

"Really now…I know I should be upset, but really I'm just in awe at this point. This has been the third time this week and the seventh time this month Miyuki-san! Whatever insurance plan you guys have to cover all these damages must be a damn good one because every time I come here your house always looks good as new!" A tall, gruff looking man in a fire fighter suit sighed in dry amusement as he stared down at the three of us. His name was Takano Hiroshi, but I just call him Mr. Hiroshi.

My mom, Sawada, and I were standing in front of my house which was currently in flames. We were covered in ash and smoke and my mother just stared at the older man with indifference, placing a dainty hand on her cheek. "Oh, Hiro-kun~...It's so nice to know that you care about us so much...Your wife sure is a lucky woman to be married to such a nice man..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Miyuki-san! How did the fire start this time?!" He demanded while I raised my hand to gain his attention.

"My mom was makin' cereal for dinner." I explained, receiving an incredulous look from the older man.

"Cereal?" He whispered in disbelief. "What do you mean _cereal?!_ It's just milk and wheat! There's no way it could've caught on fire!"

"That's what we thought..." My mom supplied offhandedly while a confused and slightly freaked out Sawada began waving her hands wildly to emphasize her point.

"It just caught on fire out of nowhere!” She squeaked out, looking unsettled at the memory. “Shinonome-san just poured the milk and then it suddenly burst into flames!"

"I must've used the wrong milk...silly me teehee..." My mom monotoned, knocking a fist to her head while sticking out her tongue.

Hiroshi-san looked at my mom in dumbstruck shock before shouting at the top of his lungs. "Don't _"Teehee!"_ me! This is nothing short of magic Miyuki-san!"

"Whelp...looks like I have to find a hotel for us to stay in tonight...doesn't that sound fun to you two...?" My mom asked us, ignoring a yelling Hiroshi-san as she went to go find a phone with him following her.

"I should go call dad and tell him we're orderin' out again. What should we have...Ramen? Donburi?" I muttered as I took Sawada's hand and walked to also find a phone. She could only follow, pale faced.

* * *

  ** _Looks can be deceiving_**

* * *

 As I got to known Sawada more, I learned one thing about her that stood out in particular.

"Hey Dame-Tsuna!" Some kid called out while me and her were walking back to my house after a trip to the connivance store for some snacks. We both turned to see some kids in our class walking up to us with smirks on their faces. Sawada squeaked in alarm and hid behind me while I scowled at the group, making them all (except the one in front) pale in fear and step back.

"Ha? What the heck do you morons want?" I demanded while the kid in front stood before me confidently.

"I ain't scared of you Shinonome! My brother taught me some of his super cool martial arts moves to take you out! Now get out of my way before I make you sorry!" He declared grandiosely while pointing at me and his idiot friends behind him cheered like he was some kind of hero.

I stared at him blankly before grabbing Sawada's hand and walking away. "Come on let's go...My sister sent me the full box set of _Hey Arnold_ from America and I wanna watch it..."

We got a few steps away before the boy called out to us again. "Hey! Don't you ignore me!" He yelled indignantly, making me turn back towards him with an annoyed glare.

"What now?" I asked impatiently while the boy cracked his knuckles in what he most likely thought was an intimidating way.

"Now you've done it! I've warned you, but you didn't listen!" He suddenly got into a fighting stance while the group behind him began to cheer again. "It's too late to apologize now! You've pissed me off Shinonome!"

Sawada latched onto the back of my jacket tightly and I looked down to see her looking at the boy worriedly instead of fearfully. I realized with a sudden thought, that she was worried  _for_  me...probably afraid that I would get hurt...

"Prepare to taste defeat, Shinonome!" The dumb ass declared, preparing to unleash his attack. "Now take this! _Dragon ki-_ "

I cut the kid's move off when I went up to him, grabbed the top of his head, and lifted him off the ground.

"...eh?" He asked stupidly, looking confused and unsure of what was happening. I could see all his idiot friends staring at us in shock and fear and I smirked at their expressions. They all looked like they were going to piss their pants.

"You should really pick your fights with people you know you could beat." I said simply as the idiot in my grasp began to sweat buckets. I grabbed him by the shirt and began to spin him around and around in a circle. I spun the kid around a few more times before letting go with hardly any effort. I watched him soar towards his friends and chuckled when I saw him barrel down one of them as they both fell with an audible _"THUD!"_

"Daiki used _'Whirl'_ attack...it was super effective!" I declared, dusting my hands off before turning around and walking back to Sawada who was staring at me in complete awe. When I got in front of her, I gave her a quick flick to her forehead before bending down to pick up the bags that I put down. I ignored her yelp and her teary eyed, confused look as I only looked ahead.

"Don't doubt me...now let's go." Was all I said before I walked ahead of her. I didn't see what her expression was after I said that, but it only took a few moments for me to hear her hurried footsteps trying to catch up with me. I snuck a peak from the corner of my eye seeing a happy smile on her blushing face. I sighed...how troublesome.

Too bad the moment was ruined when an annoying voice called out again..."OI!" The kid from earlier shouted, regaining our attention. He looked pissed and had a huge lump on his head from where he collided with his friend who was still on the ground, passed out with a little ghost coming out of his mouth. His friends were pleading for the idiot to leave us alone and to just go home, but he refused to listen. "NO! Screw that! You thought that weak attack would keep me down, but you underestimated me!"

I turned fully towards the moron and clicked my tongue in annoyance. God, this was a pain in the ass! "Oi, oi! What more will it take me kickin' the crap out of you for you to stay down?!"

The boy chuckled manically, breathing hard as if he just ran a mile. "I'll make you eat those words!" He then began to run towards us as I pushed Sawada next to me so she'd be out of harm’s way...though it's not like whatever this kid could do could be harmful...more laughable than anything.

"It's time for my secret move!" He declared as he began to jump-"Grass hopper drop kic-" or, I should say, that was what he  _was_  going to do, but instead he stepped on his shoelace in the process and began to pitch forward.

"...eh?" He uttered dumbly as he fell. I relaxed almost immediately as he fell face first into the sidewalk and even almost laughed at the sight...that is...until I noticed he fell in front of Sawada...and that the idiot had something in his hands...something that looked pink and pleated...oh...oh...oh _no-_

I stared blankly at the kid on the ground before mechanically lifting my head up to look at Sawada's face. It had gone completely blank with shock, as if her brain just shut off. The boy on the ground looked up in confusion, still dazed from his fall and focused on where Sawada's skirt was...o-or should I say lack thereof...

The idiot blinked a few more times before he said one. Simple. Word.

_"...Strawberries..."_

It was deathly quiet as the only sound that could be heard were the cries of the crows above. _'Aho!...Aho!...Aho!'_ they crowed, and I couldn't help but agree with them. I watched, almost fearfully, as Sawada lowered her head with her bangs covering her eyes. She was shaking, and her trembling fist were clenched at her sides. "H..."

Odd…I thought I heard her say something?

"H...h...h..." I looked as she suddenly took in a deep breath and I knew then and there, that this was not going to end well.

And I was right.

"...hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH _HHHHHHH **HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

It was also then, that I knew I was never going to hear the same way ever again. Sawada screamed so loud that it shook the very  _ground_  beneath us. It was like a god damn earthquake! Glass broke, animals were freaking the fuck out and screeching to high Heaven, and I thought I heard a car crash somewhere! We all covered our poor, poor ears as they were assaulted by the sonic wave force behind her screaming. It was like a shock wave of pure, raw energy...

And if I were to be completely honest...I was terrified...I was even more so at Sawada's next actions.

Still screaming like a banshee and so red in the face I was worried she pass out from all the blood rush to her head, she reared her leg back and kicked the stupid idiot who was still at her feet in the face. Even I cringed as I saw him fly back into his friends with a bloody nose. He bowled them down like a rocket and this time he took them all down even though he only hit the kid from earlier who just managed to get up.

 ** _"NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONNONONO!KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_** She shrieked over and over again, tears rushing down her face like a waterfall as she reached over to her right and- **oh my _god!_**

I still remember this exact moment to this day and I think I will until the day I die and into the afterlife. I can _not_  stress this enough people!

I watched Sawada (a five-year-old at the time mind you!) pick up a nearby  _dumpster_  that was easily  _five times_  her size and most likely weighed more than her and me  _combined_  and  _chuck_  the damn thing towards the group who stared at the incoming piece of death metal in abject horror.

The kid she kicked sat back up and looked wearily around him. "W-what happen? Did I win the gold medal?!" He slurred, looking absently at the projectile speeding towards him. Once his brain registered what was happening, the kid's eyes bugged out, practically flying out of his head, and he and his friends screamed and went running for their lives. The dumpster slammed in to the ground, but it continued barreling after the group going on and on and probably never going to stop.

I stared dumbly at the scene in front of me, my jaw probably unhinged with how far it seemed to have fallen, before I suddenly closed it and resumed my earlier look of indifference. I turned to see Sawada on her knees with her skirt (thankfully) back on and bawling like a new born baby. Chaos surrounded us as people came out of their cars and buildings to figure out what the hell was happening.

 I walked over, slowly, cautious as to not provoke the girl anymore. I stopped in front of her, watching as she covered her teary eyes, before crouching down, staring at her face. I reached over and gently put a hand on her head, tousling her hair and immediately silencing her sobs. She stilled completely before hesitatingly looking up at me from her hands. I stared at her glassy, honey doe eyes and I gave a small calming smile.

"Hurry up and let's go...I don't want the ice cream to melt..."

She looked at me with blank, lifeless eyes for three minutes straight. Neither of us blinking and barely breathing.

She stared and stared and stared some more before the natural blush came back to her face and she gave a jerky nod, light back in her eyes. I mussed her hair up some more before nodding as well and standing up. I walked ahead hearing the telltale tips taps of Sawada trying to catch up to me and we continued on our way to my house with her talking most of the way and with me interjecting occasionally, leaving the destruction behind us.

We never talked about that incident again, and I never planned to...for the sake of not only my health, but for the rest of humanity's as well...


	4. My Cousin, My Friend, a Quartet has Been Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah! Bad writing is bad! Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if people were disappointed with how this chapter turned out, especially since I know a lot of you have been waiting for the next one! But for real, sorry this took so long...what with school and projects and what not. (Plus I've been busy writting chapters for my other Original story called "The World Beneath" with my friend and we're trying to finish it for out first year anniversary of it's publishing!) So anyway, I'm a little rusty at writing this so I hope you can enjoy it! Whee~! More baby adventures!

**_Chapter 4: My Cousin, My Friend, a Quartet Has Been Born._ **

* * *

 

...Hm?...ah! Oh shi-um...hey? So...uhh...I know that it's kind of been a while since I spoke to you guys huh? Ah, well...I have a VERY good reason for this! So, let's me just come out and say that due to...uh...some distractions (mainlyanimevideogamesprocrastination) I haven't had the luxury or time to grace you all with my wonderful stories about how my life was the prime example of the shit that hit the fan. So~ I guess to make up for this (since I am apparently obligated to entertain the masses with my tales of woe and misery), I will just have to make this particular story an engaging one.

So, uh...I guess I can start around like eight years ago when I was around seven...

This was a time in my life (in a corny, nostalgic way of wording) that was very...how should I say...valued? Appreciated? I don't know, something around those lines...It was a time in my life that I look upon fondly...why? Well it was a time in my life where I met two of my closest friends. To this day, they and I have been...well inseparable I guess? It sounds really weird saying it like that, but you get the picture, right? Anyway...let's start when I met my best friend and Cousin...Kurokawa Hisao...

* * *

 

I remember my mom being over the moon when she got the call from my Uncle Jirou (though she didn't look like it), almost to the point of it being annoying. She was humming and singing, flittering all over the place, cleaning and tidying up the house to the point of putting OCD Neat-Freaks to shame. I was just sitting there on the couch, trying to watch _"Yu Yu Hakusho"_ , but I kept getting distracted by my mom and her twirling around like a freakin' Ballerina.

"Ugh, Mom..." I sighed, pausing the show and looking towards the older woman who hummed, showing that I had her attention. "Why do you keep movin' around and singin'? What are you, a Disney Princess?" I asked her with an annoyed look. She just turned and looked at me with sparkly green eyes for a moment before she put down her feather duster and rushed over to me. She leaned down gripped me in a tight bear hug that practically broke my spine, looking down at me while squeezing me tighter and tighter.

"Dai-chan...Dai-chan..." She said, sleepy eyes sparkling with joy. "Guess what?...Guess what?...Go on and guess..."

"They managed to invent fire proof houses?" I muttered sarcastically which completely flew over my mom's head.

"Oh, that would be lovely sweetie, but no it's somethin' even better...!" I turned to the one who raised me with a more genuinely, curious look. My mom may have the facial expression of a statue and the tone of voice of Siri, but I've never seen her this happy before...

"What's goin' on?" I asked as I struggled to take in sufficient breaths of air. Any tighter and I was gonna pop like a damn balloon.

"Your uncle Jirou is comin' to visit in three days..." She stated, the happy sparkles around her increasing while I looked at her with a raised brow. "Wah-?"

When I was around seven, my mother's younger brother, or my uncle Kurokawa Jirou, had decided to move from his old place in Tokyo to Namimori to get away from the city life and enjoy the more laid-back atmosphere that my town had. Apparently, my mom and him used to live in Kyoto when they were younger and had been attracted to Namimori's more Suburban way of living. From the stories I heard, my mom and my uncle had been really close when they were younger, so with her having the chance to see her little brother after around eight years really meant a lot to her. I didn't really understand or cared about it at first. After all, I'd had never met the man in my life so I was kind of indifferent to the whole situation. My mom was happy though, so it's not like I was going to complain...

"Oh...Dai-chan you're just goin' to looove~ Seein' your uncle Jirou-chan...you remind me of him so much you could pass off as twins...Oh...! And he has the most cuuutest son who's around your age...his name is Hisao and he is such a smart and polite young man...isn't that excitin' Dai-chan?...you'll have a new friend to play with!"

I just nodded along, pretending to listen to my mother's babbles. I still couldn't help a small drum of annoyance that ran through me when she mentioned this so called "New Friend". I considered my younger self as being a fairly mature boy, not smart of course, but still mature for the average seven-year-old. So, the thought of having to "befriend" some kid I didn't know wasn't very pleasing to me. Most of the boys around my age were much too troublesome to deal with, especially since they've taken it upon themselves to challenge me to stupid duels and crap to defend their "honor" and "pride" that had been crushed after losing to me in fights. Not like those morons had any in the first place, especially since the reason why they got their asses kicked was because they kept messing with Sawada. You'd think they'd learned by now, but no~! Stupidity is thicker than blood when concerning them (must run in the family).

Anyway, the point was that I wasn't looking forward to entertaining some bratty city kid who was probably going to bitch and complain about moving to our "Back Water" community. Nope, non, nein, not gonna deal. But, considering my mother's feelings, she'd obviously want me to get along with the kid, so I'd probably make an effort to greet the guy before leaving to my room or something.

Yeah, that sounded like a plan...

And so time passed, and the golden day had arrived in nothing short of 84 hours.

It was a cool, sunny day so I decided to chill outside on a hammock that was suspended by these two large shady trees in our backyard.

I was taking a light nap (which was surprising considering I could go into a deeper sleep than a bear during hibernation) and could hear birds chirp while listening to the wind jangle these wind chimes in my backyard softly. It was quiet and peaceful for a few minutes until my ears perked up at the sound of our doorbell ringing. I heard my mom call out that she was coming, and the sound of her slipper padded feet before it grew silent once more. It didn't take more than ten seconds for the silence to be shattered by the squeal joy that my mom gave out and I immediately knew our esteemed guest had arrived. The happy babbles and yips coming from my mother bleed through the walls of my house and I groaned before pulling a pillow over my head to block out all the noise, not that it helped. I could still hear her chatting to someone who I presumed to be my uncle. The low-voiced grumble of a male telling her to calm down and control herself seemed to prove my hypothesis. My mom and my Uncle went back and forth, her talking about how happy she was to see him and him grunting and sighing responses to her rapid-fire questions. The duo of voices grew fainter and inaudible as they seemed to move from the hallway to the living room and I found myself relaxing a bit at the returned silence. I idly thought about the cousin my mom talked about and wonder if I still had to meet him or if he was even there. Not that I cared if he was, as it was much less troublesome for me.

With that thought, I completely relaxed and snuggled deeper into the hammock, feeling the warm sun cover me like a blanket and lull me into a cat nap state.

I was determined to get enough sleep that I could before my mom would inevitably come and force me to meet my Uncle, but my agenda was interrupted by the backdoor sliding open roughly.

I twitched at the sound, a feeling of displeasure growing in my stomach as I lazily opened my eyes. Great, so I guess I wasn't gonna get to nap any time soon then.

When my gaze landed on the one who opened the door though, my eyes widened a fraction more as they met the scowling dark gray ones of a boy who looked around my age.

_'...Guess he's the Cousin I'm supposed to entertain...'_ I thought bordely, taking in his short, black, wavy hair, bored yet disgruntled expression, and mature fashion sense. His stance, tall and imposed, made him look like a boy who carried himself with an air of a level-headed adult.

His eyes studied me from head to toe and the grimace on his face grew deeper the more he stared. I returned the look blankly before closing my eyes, continuing to try and get the sleep I so desperately wanted. I felt that there was nothing for me to say, and by the look on the guy’s face, he seemed about as enthused to start a conversation as I was.

I could hear his foot-steps on the grass crunch closer as he made his way towards me and I soon felt his presence near my side. I could easily tell that he was still scowling at me.

"Oi, monkey." Hisao said dryly, as if he could think of a million things he'd rather be doing now instead of this. Couldn't blame the kid either, I felt the same way. "I'm guessing you're the Cousin Miyuki Oba-san was talking about?"

I cracked open my left eye and regarded the boy dully. "Indeed I am. Guessin' you're the kid my mom asked me to play with?"

Hisao didn't look amused at my comment and he clenched his jaw, insulted. "Look!" He snapped, crossing his arms while one hand held a familiar looking book. "I'm going to cut to the chase and say that I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here! I'm not here to _play_ nor am I here to listen to your idiotic babble. So, I'm going to sit here and mind my own business until diner is ready and I rather you not talk to me during that time." He stated officially, and I felt a bit of respect towards him by the end of it. Hey, he may have sounded like an asshole, but the man knew the deal. He just made my day a whole lot easier and with the formalities out of the way I could finally get some shut eye.

I stared a bit more at him before yawning into my hand, closing my eyes in the process. "Seems the feelins' mutual then. I'm gonna take a nap so try not to be too loud and wake me up." I stated, turning on my side. I heard Hisao huff before he walked towards the other side of the hammock where the trees were at. I also heard him settle down on the grass as well as the oddly pleasant sound of papers being flipped. Silence filled the air once more and I found myself slowly going into a post-sleep trance. You know the one where you're close to passing out, but random thoughts just bounce around in your head keeping you awake? Yeah, it was like that.

Though subconsciously, I remember thinking about the book that was in Hisao's hand. It looked very familiar, but where had I seen it before? Damn, it was on the tip of my tongue too...I then quickly grew tired of trying to remember the name of the book and I instead decided to actually open my eyes and look at the damn title. I did so and as soon as my vision cleared to the point where the words looked legible, a surprised and interested feeling replaced my drowsiness.

_"Shi no Kuro Neko"_? I stated, reading the Light Novel's title out loud and attracting Hisao's attention. He looked surprised that I recognized the title, before his face fell back into its natural state of indifference.

"...Yeah? What about it?" He asked in suspicion and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nothin'. I just happen to really like that series. That's volume six that just came out right?" I asked, and he gave me a weird look before nodding slowly. "Thought so. I had already finished that one 'bout a week ago. It was good, but I like the third volume better."

My cousin still had that weird, confused look on his face but he did seem to relax after a bit. "I didn't ask..." He mumbled in response to my words and all I could do was shrug my shoulders. He was right of course, but I didn't really care. Just wanted to say it out loud is all. It was silent for a few moments and I began to roll back into my previous position, seeing that he was still going to ignore me. I stopped though, when he continued to speak.

"I'm not usually into Light Novels, but this one had caught my interest...I...I personally like Volume five better. The character development was well-rounded, and the boss fight was very impactful..."

I turned on my side to get a better view of my cousin. "Really?" I asked conversationally, getting more interested in the topic. "Yeah, the fight with the Nezumi was cool and all, but I think Kagano's fight with Hell Hound was way better. Especially when they got into that fist fight with each other."

Hisao raised an incredulous eyebrow at me, putting down his book and giving me his full attention. "Are you serious? The sword fight between Kagano and Nezumi is obviously better! That and the battle between Mikado and Usagi behind that water fall."

"Ho~? And I guess the gun fight between Alfred and Canard didn't suit your taste then?" I drawled and Hisao scoffed, looking at me challengingly.

"Please, that fight was nothing to sneeze at. It was obvious how the fight was going to end before it even started. Alfred was obviously stronger than that monkey Canard and could've dealt with him easily!"

And that's how it went for the next three hours. We would go back and forth, talking about out personal favorite scenes and moments in the Light Novel, while trying to convince the other why they were obviously the superior ones. Then the topic spanned to other stuff that we liked, hated, or had in common. He despised Manga while I practically lived off of Shounen Jump. He was a dog person while I fancied the feline race (there was just something about those ears and paws that enraptured me more than any school lesson could ever hope to achieve). He enjoyed the traditional Miso Soup, Tofu, and Rice while my whole diet plan consisted of Beef, Junk Food, and Soda. Despite these differences, we surprisingly had a lot in common. We weren't good with (nor didn't much care for) human contact, we were introverted, enjoyed peace and quiet, and considered most people, specifically boys around our age, to be moronic monkeys or jackasses.

After a while though, it grew quiet between us. Not the tense, cold quiet that we had unanimously settled into when we first met, but a much more comfortable one.

Hisao had moved from the grass to the hammock alongside me and we just swung back and forth softly, watching the clouds move across the sky lazily.

"...You know..." Hisao started which surprised me, though not by a lot. As I got to know my cousin better, I quickly realized that he wasn't one to just sit back and follow or let things be. He was one to take the initiative and just does or says what he wants. It was...refreshing...in a way..."When my Uncle said that I had to get along with you, I was pissed. I didn't want to waste my precious time with some childish idiot who'd try and make me do bothersome things or play games." He continued bluntly, and I stared at him with curious eyes. What was he getting at? "Then when I saw you, I immediately knew that I was going to hate your guts."

"Geez man, I didn't know I had such a hateful face..." I muttered making him glare a bit.

"I thought that at _first_." He stressed towards the end before he looked towards the sky with a stone face. It was probably due to the light of the sun, but I could've sworn I saw his face go a little pink for a second. It was such a long time ago that I can't even tell for sure...most likely my imagination..."But...But now...well, you're not as much of a stupid monkey as I thought...I mean, you're still pretty dumb, but not as bad as the others..."

I stared at Hisao for a moment, a little put off at the other’s words, but that didn't last as I realized something. Hanging out and talking to Hisao felt like how it was when I would hang out with Sawada. Yeah, it could get tiring and aggravating at times, but all in all it wasn't unpleasant. It was then that I realized that I actually _liked_ talking to my cousin, getting to know him better...it was strange...we had a lot in common and we both had a similar mind-set that made him much more bearable than the other male company I had been forced to interact with...It was...well, fun in a weird way...I don't know, I didn't have any male friends let alone friends. The only friend I did have was Sawada, so I wasn't very experienced in that department...well...whatever it was...It wasn't unpleasant and I'm guessing that I was regarded by Hisao higher than most people he knew so I guess that was a plus.

I nodded slowly at the brunet's words before looking up at the sky again. It was like a canvas panted with oranges, yellows, and reds, giving it a fiery look that reminded me of Sawada for some reason. We both went into silence for another brief period before I broke it this time. "You're not so bad yourself. I mean, you can be a pompous jerk sometimes, but you're less troublesome than others."

Hisao gave me another weird, puzzled look before closing his eyes and sighing. "Hmph...thanks...I guess?"

"Don't mention it."

After that, my mom and my Uncle came out from the house to come and tell us that diner was ready. She was right when she said me and my uncle could be twins, we had the same wavy black hair, wore glasses, and had a stare that could cut through stone. He was also pretty chill once you got to know him and he was apparently just as averse to human contact as Hisao and I. He also won major Daiki points when he cooked for the night instead of my mom and made a meal that could compare positively to Sawada's mom...Yeah...I felt that me and him were going to get along much better than I thought.

After that, my mom begged my Uncle Jirou to stay before she passed out from all the joy and excitement she had for the whole day and with a resigned sigh, my Uncle declared that they were going to spend the night.

I was oddly pleased and from what I could tell, so was Hisao. We decided to camp out in the living room that night and began to watch a bunch of detective movies where Hisao would find clues and come to conclusions before the actual actors themselves and I would mock him for being a nerd to which he'd reply back with a pillow to the face.

All in all, it was a pretty good day.

**_*FRIENDSHIP ACHIEVED~!*_ **

* * *

Hisao and I always hung out after that. When he transferred to our school and to my class, him, Sawada, and I would always be paired together. She was obviously a nervous wreck around him and his blunt personality did not help with that at all, but after a while she mellowed out to the point where she didn't think he'd attack her at any moment.

It was nice, the three of us just being together and I didn't really think that it'd get any bigger than that. But of course, life is unpredictable and shit happened with no warning, for no reason.

You know, now that I think of it, I guess it's not surprising how I met my other friend Kyohei Sasagawa under unique circumstances...

* * *

This encounter happened a few months after my uncle's visit and Hisao, Sawada, and I were just taking a stroll around the neighborhood. It was one of those lazy Autumn mornings on a Sunday and we were bored, having nothing to do.

Hisao was walking besides me on my left while Sawada was on my right. She was holding onto my jacket corner loosely with faintly flushed cheeks while my cousin regarded me with a look of judgment.

"How can you let those...strays just climb over you like that? Don't you realize the diseases and parasites they most likely have?" He stated as I continued to walk with a blank face, not really paying attention. Especially since I was too preoccupied with the bundle of perfection meowing softly in my arms. I had five cats on my person at that moment, one on my head, two on my shoulders, one in my arm, and one sleeping in my hoodie. While we were walking, we passed them sleeping in the alley way and I immediately stopped all conversation just to bask in their existence. Long short, the cats all seemed to grow attached to me and hadn't left my side since then.

Sawada lifted her head a bit to look at me, blushed a bright red for a moment, then looked down to the ground again, fidgeting. "I-I think they look c-cute..." She mumbled as Hisao rolled his eyes while crossing his arms, giving the both of us an unimpressed look.

"Honestly Sawada, stop justifying his spur of the moment actions. He'll only keep doing them."

I turned towards my cousin, not even phased by his words. It may have been only a few months since I met him, but I had already gotten used to him to the point where I could take his blunt judgement in stride without batting an eye.

"This wasn't spur of the moment, this was fate." I countered while holding the kitten in my arms closer to his face, the little guy meowing happily at the attention it was getting. "How could you be so cold hearted and ignore these cute faces? You're a demon. The Devil himself. They have a special place in Hell for people like you."

Hisao glared at my words and looked like he was going to give me his sharp opinion on my statement, before a cry of pain suddenly caught our attention. All three of us perked up and looked at each other with different degrees of confusion before following where we thought we heard the sound. We had made our way to an alley, only to see a shocking sight.

There looked to be seven high school boys in total surrounding a boy and a girl who looked around our age. The boy had short, bright orange hair and amber colored eyes. He was on the ground looking frightened and worried while staring at the girl who was taller than him with shoulder length spiky white hair put in a pony tail and gray eyes. Both of them looked pretty banged up (the girl more so than the boy) and I would have been even more worried if I didn't see four of the seven boys looking just as bad, maybe even worse than her, on the ground and knocked-out. Even the still conscious boys looked like they just been run through the wringer as they glared at the girl with as much hatred as they could.

"D-Dammit!" One of them (who I presumed to be the leader) grounded out, blood running down the corner of his mouth. "How the hell can she still be standing after all this?!"

One of the guys with a nasty black eye nodded, though he looked more freaked out than the other two. "W-We've hit her with bats and pipes and she just keeps getting up!"

I felt my eyes widen at admission and I traded equally shocked looks with Hisao, Sawada gasping from behind me, her small hands gripping my jacket in nervous fear. What the Hell is going on?! Did this chick really take down a group of high schoolers armed with weapons with her bare hands?! I mean yeah, I could take down my fair share of idiots, but even I don't know how'd I fair against seven high school guys!

One of the guys seemed to lose it completely and with a battle cry, he rushed towards the gray eyed girl, raising a bat in the air. "Big sis!" The orange haired boy cried out fearfully while the girl clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. She expertly dodged the wild swings from the guy, weaving in and out before giving him three quick jabs to the gut. The dude gasped from the hit and crouched down in pain, holding on to his stomach. The girl didn't miss a beat and hit the guy with a right hook to the chin making him cry out and fall to the ground, down for the count.

The three of us continued to watch, feeling in awe at what we just saw. It's not every day that you see someone get knocked the fuck out like that! I was honestly impressed. I didn't know who the hell this girl was, but she could kick some ass.

"Shit!" The leader growled, before turning towards his friend. "Get the brat! She can't do shit if we got her brother as a hostage again!" He snapped at the guy. He still looked fearful, but he eventually nodded with a gulp and began to reach for the ginger haired boy. Said kid yelped at the approaching teen and the girl turned towards her supposed brother in panic.

"KYOHEI!" She screamed, making a move towards him, but she was blocked by the leader who gave her a nasty smirk.

"Hey, hey! Hold on now! I wouldn't move if I was you~! Wouldn't want you little brother getting hurt now, do we?" He warned making the girl clench her teeth. I frowned in disgust, staring at the so-called older boy in anger. How pathetic was he to use a hostage to win a fight against a nine-year old girl?

Her brother was back peddling on his hands away from the approaching teen, whimpering for his sister to help. I felt my fist clench at the sight, being irritably reminded of the time with Sawada and those three boys who were messing with her all those months ago. What was with people, messing around with others who were obviously weaker than them? Did it think it made them look stronger, tougher? Or did they just get some sick kick out of it? I didn't know, nor did I care. Normally, I didn't involve myself in other people's fights and crap, but this time was an exception. Maybe it had something to do with Sawada, but I've found myself not being able to leave well enough alone and to mind my own business, especially if it involves those who couldn't defend themselves. Damn, she'd gone and made me stupid...though I can't decide if that was a good thing or a bad one.

I quickly handed Sawada that cats on my head, shoulders, hoodie, and arms, earring a confused look from her and Hisao. "Hold these right quick." I stated hurriedly and Hisao seemed to realize what I was going to do as he began to open his mouth to stop me.

"Wait you idi-" But I didn't hear him finish as I began to run into the alley way as fast as I could. I saw that the older boy had grabbed onto Kyohei's arm, roughly trying to drag him up from the ground. The younger boy wasn't making it easy for him either as he was frantically trying to break out of his grasp, frustrated, yet determine tears brimming at his eyes. They didn't seem to notice me which was good. Time to use the element of surprise!

"L-let go of me! LET ME GO!" He demanded, and the stupid monkey seemed to grow tired of his cries and raised his hand, looking like he was going to smack him.

"Tch! Dammit kid, would you just-!" I could vaguely hear the white-haired girl scream her brother's name as I made a running jump towards the teen. He seemed to notice me at the very last second as his gaze moved from Kyohei's form to mine. His eye's widened in shock, probably at the fact that I was literally flying towards him from out of nowhere. I didn't have time to entertain the thought as I slammed into guys torso, bowling him down like a torpedo. We both fell to the ground with pained grunts, though my fall was cushioned by the monkey's.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The leader yelled as I picked myself up, dusting the dirt off of my clothes. I looked towards Kyohei's sister and the guy, the two looking at me like I was some kind of alien. I raised my hand, and pointed my finger at the Leader Monkey, annoyance marring my face. "You're next, you ass-hole."

"What the hell? Who the hell are you?!" He demanded as I stared him down. If he was trying to look intimidating, it wasn't working. He looked more constipated than anything.

"The guy who's gonna kick your ass. You feel all tough pickin' on a little girl and her brother? You must be weaker than I thought." The guy looked confused and then pissed at my words, actually taking a step towards me.

"Ha?! What the hell did you just say to me you little shi-" But his next words were cut off as Hisao ran up and tossed one of the cats at the guys face. The little guy did not look amused at this and to vent its frustration, it began to claw at the guys face like mad, making him scream out in pain.

Hisao then turned an angry glare towards me before stomping my way. "You idiot! What on Earth do you think you're doing?! Were you trying to get killed?!" He shouted as I stared down at him blankly. What was his problem? Not like I got hurt or anything. I remember telling him just as much and his stare turned even more scalding as he began to poke me in the chest to emphasize his words. "It doesn't matter if you didn't! The fact remains that you could've been hurt! You need to starting thinking things through with that thick head of yours!" He then launched into this long scolding session while I tuned him out, putting my finger in my ears to block him out. Blah, blah, blah! Tell me something I don't know...

Kyohei and his sister stared at the two of us, still looking like they weren't caught up with the situation. She was helping her brother up when he finally said something. "U-Um!" He stuttered out, gaining our attention. He looked like he would've said something else, but a pained growled interrupted him. The four of us quickly turned our heads to the source of the sound and saw that the Monkey Leader had gotten the cat off his face and was glaring fiercely at us.

"You damn brats." He snarled before quickly pulling something out of his pocket and flicking it open. I felt myself tense as the blade of the pocket knife glinted dangerously in the dim alley. Hisao and Kyohei's sister tensed as well, glaring at the teen warily while Kyohei held onto her tightly. Did this guy really bring a knife to a fight against some grade schoolers? What the Hell would he have done with it if we didn't stumble upon this alley way?! The thought alone was enough to chill me...

"Now...Now I'm done messing around..." The Monkey Leader panted, getting up on weak legs with a twisted smile on his face and looking demented. "If you don't want to be sliced to ribbons, I suggest you hand over Sasagawa, so she and I could have a little chat~! I'll teach her to disrespect me and my crew." He bit out towards the end, making my stomach churn in distaste. This guy was seriously messed in the head.

Hisao seemed to agree with me as he looked down on the teen with a look of revulsion. "You must be seriously dull-witted if you think that threat would work on us. You know you can go to jail for this right?"

"I don't give a shit!" The teen roared making us flinch back in surprise at the tone. He was panting, and his eyes looked feverish, almost possessed. "That bitch had disrespected and humiliated me! Making me look like a dumb-ass! And I just can't let this slide! I have my pride to salvage dammit!"

Kyohei's sister frowned at this, pushing and shielding her little brother behind her. "You had it coming!" She yelled. "You were trying to mug my little brother! And if you mess with him you have to go through me first!" She finished, making said boy gasp silently behind her.

"Big-sis..."

The Monkey leader seemed greatly amused by this as he barked in laughter, the sound grating on my nerves. Seems this ass-hole just couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he?

"Aw, well isn't that cute?" He asked mockingly before taking a step towards us. "But it's not gonna save you now! I'll just have to gut all of you then!" He threatened, putting us all on edge at his approach. The idiot began to laugh some more, triumphant that he was going to win. He only took three more steps before a loud _"BANG!"_ came from behind him, making him grunt and for his eyes to roll up into his head. The boss Monkey fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and the trembling form of Sawada clutching a broken in half bat in her tiny hands greeted us.

I stared at the foreign scene, not really sure if my eyes were working correctly as she dropped the bat and tears began to drip from her eyes. She then began to wail before launching her small body towards me, similar to how I did when I knocked down that guy from earlier. I grunted in surprise and slight pain from the impact and fell to the ground as she clutched on to me for dear life, bawling her eyes out.

"Gah! Ugh-Sawada?! What the hell-?!" I breathed out, trying to get some air into my lungs that were being constricted in her grasp. She didn't seem to hear me, determined to soak my shirt with her tears.

"Sawada will you calm down?! What the heck is wrong with you?! I can't-gah!-I can't breathe!" I wheezed, and she shook her head rapidly, looking at me in panic.

"B-B-But S-Shinonome-kun! You were in tr-trouble and you were going to be hur-hurt and I didn't know what to do and-and-and!" She babbled, sounding close to hyperventilating and I grimaced at this fact, patting her back in hopes to calm her down.

"Tch! Alright, alright already! As you can see I’m fine so just calm the hell down!" Jesus, why did this girl have to be so troublesome?!

As I continued to yell at the girl for her to calm down, I could hear Hisao sigh in exhaustion from behind me. "Figures, she'd give someone a concussion just to protect him."

Seriously. This girl was going to be the death of me...how troublesome...

* * *

After that ordeal, the five of us decided to get out of the alley way before those thugs woke up and we all began to run to a safer place. We managed to make it to a park and stopped to catch our breath. This was the most I've ran in a while and least to say, I remembered why I hated it so much. Fuck using my legs man...

"T-That's it Shinonome...this is the last time I go anywhere with you! You're a damn trouble magnet!" Hisao snapped at me, hands on his knees.

"Hey! Don't make it seem like I enjoy gettin' into crap like this!" I gave a mild glare towards him. Trust me, if I could, I wouldn't get into these kinds of situations!

Kyohei and his sister walked closer to us, both looking warn out, yet grateful.

"U-um! Thank you for helping us!" Kyohei stammered out politely while twiddling his thumbs before bowing in thanks. I remember thinking how the action was very _“Sawadaesque”_ and even entertained the thought of them being they related if it wasn't for the fact that they didn't look alike. The older girl seemed uncaring of her injuries and was screaming her thanks for us at the top of her lungs. "Thanks for helping us to the EXTREME!"

Sawada blushed red at the gratitude while Hisao looked annoyed at the girl's yelling. I myself just stared at the siblings tiredly, waving a dismissive hand. "No need to thank us. All we did was take out two guys. You were the one who did most of the ass-kickin' and I’m pretty sure your brother would've helped you out as well." And it was true. Even if we weren't there, she most likely could've taken the other guys out one way or another. Even Kyohei probably would've helped if he gotten away from that guy in time. Though I guess you could say we made things a lot easier and saved her and Kyohei from getting hurt even more.

Kyohei looked at me in shock for a moment, as if he couldn't believe what I just said to him, before his face melted into a happy smile making me raised an eyebrow in confusion. What the heck? Maybe he was hit in the head or something? I felt Sawada's arms around me tighten and I look back to see the girl staring at Kyohei with a weird look in her eyes. Her too? Seems everyone was acting weird today...

"U-um...My name is Sasagawa Kyohei...and this is my older sister Ryoko...Once again we're really grateful for you guys helping us." Kyohei stated once more with a more chipper light in his tone than before.

The newly dubbed "Ryoko" pumped her fist in the air, an excited fire burning in her eyes. Man was this chick intense... “Nice to meet cha'! That was an EXTREME tackle by the way!" She continued, looking towards me this time.

"You gotta show me how to...how to..." She trailed off and then suddenly, without warning, she passed out mid-sentence falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. If you'd have seen us when that happened, you'd think she'd just exploded. The four of us stared wide eyed at her motionless form for a few beats of silence and then promptly began to freak the fuck out.

"BIG SIS!?" Kyohei shouted in fear while Sawada, Hisao, and I yelled in panic.

"HOLY MOTHER RUSSIA, DID SHE JUST DIE!?" I remember him yelling on a possible whim (don't know why he said holy mother Russia though...) and I was staring bug eyed at the white hair girl shouting something about "HER TIME HAS COME! QUICK, BEFORE THE SHINIGAMI ARRIVE" I then back tracked and began to rub my chin thoughtfully "On second thought though, that'd be pretty cool. Maybe Ichigo or Byakuya will appear?"

The orange hair boy and brunette girl looked at us as if we were crazy (which wouldn't be so surprising now that you think about it) before he frantically began waving his hands in the air so fast they were blurs.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT!?" Kyohei shrieked startling the two of us out of our dumb shock. "HELP ME CARRY BIG SIS HOME!" At his plea, Hisao and I gathered our composure and he picked up the fallen sister, holding her bridal style with a grumble before booking it to the red head's house.

When we got to his house, we all began to frantically bang on the door and yell for someone to open it until it did. Soon, a white-haired woman in a yellow dress opened the door with a closed-eye, sunny smile. "Yes~? Who is it?"

Now that I think back to it, it was kinda funny when we made it to the Sasagawa household and greeted a smiling Mrs. Sasagawa with her unconscious and injured daughter, her ruffled and bleeding son, and three unknown kids who were equally dirty and messed up. She stared at us in shock for a few seconds before she screamed in horror, frantically pulling us inside and calling an ambulance and our parents.

All our moms were almost besides themselves with worry, asking us what happened and if we were okay while our dads began to scold us for getting hurt and promising us not to do it again...well...Kyohei's dad that is...Hisao's and my dad rushed in and smacked us upside the head for being reckless and doing stupid shit. God, I still remember the pain to this day...

A few hours passed after that and after talking to the police about what happened, all of us were patched up and ready to go home. Only Kyohei and his family were going to stay at the hospital for the night...

I left from the room that my doctor was in and scratched at the bandage on my cheek that was covering a cut I got when I football tackled that guy from earlier. My parents said they had to talk to the police some more and told me to meet them at Hisao's room as soon as I was done. Great, now they're going to watch over and baby me for God knows how long. I mean, you stumble upon one gang fight and suddenly they treat you like you're going to be assassinated!

I grumbled at the troublesome thought before making my way down the hall, passing a few other patients and nurses, some of who smiled lightly at me. I returned their looks with a polite nod and continued on my way. It wasn't until I saw Kyohei slouched in a chair, that I stopped.

I stared at the boy, noting the troubled, sad look in his eyes and debated if I should do something. I mean yeah, he looked upset, but should I talk to him or no? I already knew the extent of my people skills and as you all probably know, I suck at comforting people. Maybe I should just walk away and leave it to his parents? I was actually going to do just that and go on my way, but as soon as I actually saw tears slip down Kyohei's face, I sighed knowing there was no escape now. I grumpily walked towards the boy and sat in the chair next to him with a huff. He seemed startled at my sudden entrance and even let out a small yelp. I stared forward with my arms crossed in front of my chest and I could feel his golden gaze stare at me in confusion and disbelief. We stayed like that for a moment until I couldn't take the awkward silence anymore and sighed tiredly before snapping my head quickly towards the boy making him yelp louder.

I took in his tear stained face and I could feel my frown deepen some more. I then dug into my pocket and pulled out my blue handkerchief (that my mom insisted I carry around) and handed it to him, looking the other way.

"H-Here..." I mumbled, still not daring to look his way. God this was embarrassing... "Take it...you got snot drippin' down your nose and it's grossin' me out..." I could feel the heat at the top of my ears and I irritably motioned for him to take the stupid handkerchief when he didn't. He seemed to get my hint as he took it a few seconds later. I could hear him blowing his nose and after a few moments, I decided it was good to look and turned to face the front. I gave him a side-eyed look and could see him from the corner of my eye. He was looking down at his lap sullenly, and I frowned once more at the expression. I could hazard a guess as to why he looked so troubled. He must be thinking about Ryoko...

"...It's not your fault." I said after a moment making him snap his gaze from his lap to me, confusion clouding his features.

"W-What?"

“I still didn't look at him and continued to stare at a crack in the wall. "...I said it's not your fault...your sister choose to fight on her own to protect you...you couldn't stop her if you tried." I didn't know why I was saying this to him, he probably didn't even care about what I had to say. What would I know anyway? My sisters were in a whole other country and I knew for a fact that they were more than capable of taking care of themselves...

Kyohei stared at me a bit more before his expression fell and he looked down again, this time clutching my handkerchief tightly. "...B...But it  _is_  my fault..." He whispered softly, tears brimming at his eyes once more. "I...Big sis wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to protect me if I didn't get caught by those guys in the first place...Th-they said they were going to get back at her for punching their leader in the face after they tried to mug me and take my money. Big sis is always helping me and protecting me from bullies. My Grandpa teaches her boxing and she's really great at it! Even though she can be reckless and gets hurt a lot, she's super strong and really brave...and I look up to her because of that... m-maybe if I was stronger...if I wasn't so weak or such a scardey cat...I could've helped protect her this time..." He finished weakly and my head was fully turned to him now, a weird feeling in my chest when he said that.

Though I couldn't really understand that concept of feeling weak (after all, everyone I've ever faced happened to be people I could easily take out with little to no problem) I could wager how frustrating it would be. Wanting to stand on your own two feet, but not being able to because you weren't strong enough...I know I’d go crazy feeling like that almost every day...especially if people who I cared about would get hurt because of it...

When I thought about that, and how much it must hurt to be in his situation, I decided on what I should say. "Then get stronger."

At my words, Kyohei looked up again, meeting my determined stare with a surprised look.

"Wha-?!"

My gaze did not waver for a moment as I continued. "You said you wanted to be stronger right? To not have to rely on your sister all the time and stand on your own two feet? Well then just get stronger. Work harder. Be the man that you want to be. Be as strong as your Big sis."

"B-But! There's no way I can do that!" Kyohei stammered, gesturing wildly to himself. "I mean look at me! I'm small and short and have no muscles! There's no way I can be as strong as Big sis..."

"So what?" I countered back, throwing him for a loop. "So what if you're not big or strong? Did you see how that one girl knocked out the boss Monkey from earlier? She was shorter than you and the biggest pacifist I know, but she managed to break the bat in half over his friggin’ head! If you aim to be _just_ strong, you'll be just like those idiot high schoolers! Pickin' on those weaker than them just because they could! You don't have to look like MMA fighter to be stronger! It sounds cheesy as hell, but you have to have inner strength before you start with the outside. There isn't a single fighter worth his salt out there who has a weak-will. Don't be so hard on yourself man...you can't just be strong overnight, you gotta do it in baby steps...trust me, it'll all work out in the long run."

Kyohei continued to stare at me in awe as I leaned back in the chair with a lazy smirk. Boy was that a mouthful, I hope I sounded like I was actually making sense and not blabbering about nonsense. "Besides," I continued. "Like I said earlier, you were puttin' up a good fight against that one monkey when he tried to take you hostage again. If I were you, I’d take that as an accomplishment, call it a night and work off of that." And I meant every word I said. He was already on his way to getting stronger and with his Grandpa and sister to teach him a thing or two, he'll be kicking ass in no time.

At my words, slowly, Kyohei's shocked looked morphed into a happy, yet determined one and he pumped his fist similar to how his sister did. "A-Alright! I...I don't know how, but I'll definitely get stronger! For Big Sis, and for everyone I care about!"

My smirk widened at his words, and I pumped my fist as well, playing along. "That's the spirit! I'll be lookin' forward to it! Maybe you could help me with all the stupid monkeys who keep challengin' me to fights all the time."

Kyohei laughed at my words and I couldn't help but chuckle along with him. Guess I made a new friend.

**_*SOCIAL LINK ACHEIVED~!*_ **

* * *

 

Later on, when Sawada, Hisao, our families, and I were leaving the hospital, I heard my name being called and looked up to see Kyohei waving at me happily from one of the hospital windows. I waved back lazily and some of the cats surrounding me waved as well (I don't know how, but apparently the little guys managed to follow me all the way here. I wasn't complaining though and my mom wasn't either, cooing out about how cute they were).

Hisao gave me a questioning look. "So, you made friends with him huh?"

I turned to my Cousin and shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, I guess. Why? You jealous or somethin'?"

"No, you idiot. I'll just be glad to finally have someone with common sense around. Maybe he'll be able to knock some sense into you." He replied curtly, making me roll my eyes. You can just feel the family love, huh?

**_"I'm going to kill him."_ **

I froze at the dark, quiet voice and whirled around to stare at Sawada, positive that I just heard her say something. "What did you just say?"

Sawada gave me an innocent look, face flushed, and her hands clasped behind her back. "E-Eh? I didn't say anything..."

I stared at her for a moment with a suspicious look but shrugged after a few moments. Huh, maybe I should get my ears checked...

 


	5. The Christmas Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas one and all (and to those who don't celebrate it) Happy New Year~! Yeah, so to make up for slow updates I decided to do a little Christmas special~! I hope you enjoy it and get ready for some cutesy stuff~!

_**Chapter 5: The Christmas Gift**_

* * *

As a child, I never knew how stressful and troublesome it was to give someone a present. Well, for certain people that is, but for the majority of those I knew it was a cake walk. I knew what most of my family and friends wanted for Christmas.

My mom wanted to have a family Christmas photo to put on the wall, my dad wanted a Baseball Jersey, Hisao wanted some books, my uncle wanted this really good sake, Kyohei wanted this new electric toy car that just came out, Sawada's mom wanted these new cooking pots, my older sisters (who couldn't make back from America for Christmas) wanted these needlessly expensive makeup sets, gaming computers, and a punching bag respectively, and my grandparents just wanted more pictures like my mom. While I certainly didn't have the money or resources for these kind of gifts, I worked with everyone by telling those who  _DID_  have the power to get things what the other wanted. It was pretty easy and didn't even take that long, but there was one person that had given me a hell of a time trying to figure out what they wanted, and that one person was Sawada.

Sawada was pretty much an open book about how she felt, even if she tried to hide it (she really sucked at lying) so you'd think that it be easy to get her something right? Nope, apparently not. She always seemed happy when I give her stuff, even if it wasn't a big deal like giving her some of my snacks or a drink. I probably could've given her one of my drawings and saved myself the hassle, but whenever the thought came up I would get weirdly annoyed. Why was this so difficult? Why did she always have to be so damn happy when I give her any little thing? For some reason, I wanted to give her something...I don't know..."special" for Christmas I guess? I didn't know what the hell that special something would be, but I was going to get her it.

I spent the next few days, observing Sawada, trying to figure out what she liked. She had enough stuffed animals to open a toy store and I can't just by her clothes like some kind of weird pervert and God knows I didn't have any money for jewelry. I knew her favorite animal was a lion, she liked sweets, she enjoyed reading those cheesy, romantic Shoujo Mangas my sister would always ogle over, and so on. Christmas was getting closer by the day, and though I did have an idea of what I wanted to give her, something was still nagging at me, saying that it wasn't enough.

It wasn't until three days before Christmas did I give up and decide to ask Sawada-san and my mom on what to do.

The two of them were sitting at our kitchen table, drinking hot chocolate while decorating a Gingerbread house. Sawada had gone to use the bathroom, so I took the chance to ask them then.

"Well~!" Ms. Sawada drawled, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "I know Tsu-chan would love to have some flowers and I already got her some stuffed animals..."

"I think she would like some candies..." My mom added, looking down at me. "That or maybe one of her favorite drinks?"

"She does like chocolate..." I grumbled, remembering how she always got especially happy when I got her Pocky sticks...

We were quiet for a few moments, thinking of things to get Sawada when suddenly, Ms. Sawada gasped in delight before turning to my mom and motioning her closer. My mom looked blankly at the woman's excitement and leaned over to let the woman whisper in her ear. I watched as the emotionless look on my mom's face sparkled in hidden excitement as and the two looked at each other before squealing so loud that it almost blew my eardrums out.

I flinched at the loud sound, covering my ears in pain. God, did they have to be so damn loud?!

"Kya~!" My mom practically yelled (which was almost screaming in her case), her sleepy eyes shining in joy. "That is the cutest idea ever~!"

"I know right?!" Ms. Sawada said, equally as enthusiastic and the two clasped their hands together and began to jump up and down in their seats while giggling.

I remember thinking to myself that yes, it had finally happened. My mother had finally lost her mind and it seemed that Ms. Sawada caused it. I could just picture my face at that moment, looking oh so confused, annoyed, and terrified, trying to figure out what in the hell these women were talking about.

I debated with myself, wondering if I should take the chance to ask them as to what they were talking about, but something in my young brain was warning me to get the hell out of the room and take my chances elsewhere. I decided to trust my instincts and even began to inch my way out of my seat, but it seemed my movement caught the women’s' attention as their happy, almost glowing smiles whipped to face my freaked-out face.

"Dai-chan~" My mom drawled out in a sweet tone, putting me on edge even more.

"...Yes?" I asked, sliding back into my seat with a resigned look on my face, similar to those who accepted their fate and walked willingly to the gallows.

"Nana-chan has the perfect idea for what you can give Tsuna-chan for Christmas..."

I raised my brow at this, suspicion marring my features. I didn't believe them for one second. Whatever they were squealing about wasn't just about any old gift, there had to be a catch. Against my better judgment, I muttered out a "What is it?" knowing that whatever this so called "gift" was, it wouldn't be good.

Ms. Sawada and my mom looked at each other with respective giddy expressions before the former leaned down towards my ear and began to whisper the answer to my question. As the woman's words filled my ear, I felt my eyes widen, before my scowl returned with a vengeance.

"What?!" I asked, looking at the smiling faces of the two women. "Are you serious?! I'm not gonna-"

"It would make Tsu-chan so happy if you did~!" Ms. Sawada sang as my mom nodded besides her.

"C'mon Dai-chan...you can do it...you're my brave little guy after all~!" She cheered, running her hand through my hair.

I glared up at the two sadistic females (as they seemed to be enjoying my embarrassment and horror very much), and crossed my arms trying to will the heat from my face. "B-But do I have to?" I huffed, sliding down in my chair. "That's so...gross though..."

"It's not gross Dai-chan..." My mom reassured with Ms. Sawada nodding besides her in agreement. "It's just a way to show that you appreciate someone and to thank them..."

I looked down at my feet, thinking over my mom's words. Would doing... _that_...really make Sawada happy? I wouldn't know since I've never done it before...I looked back up to the women, the heat still not leaving my face. "Are you  _sure_  it would make her happy...?"

Both women looked down at me and nodded simultaneously. "Positive."

I sighed at their response, before groaning in annoyance. Why must everything be so troublesome?!

"Alright fine, whatever...I'll do it..." At my reluctant agreeance, the women squealed once more, gushing about how cute it was going to be and how they should take pictures and blah, blah, blah...

It was one of the first times in my life where I wished Christmas could go take a hike.

* * *

But alas, time would not stop for me and it never will. Christmas day had come, or well...Christmas night anyway. We had all opened our presents hours ago (I had gotten the new Nintendo DS Lite at the time and had played the ever-living shit out of it since minute one) and now we were at a Christmas party that my dad's co-worker was hosting at their house.

My mom, dad, uncle, aunt, Hisao, Kyohei, Ms. Sawada, Sawada, and I were there but I don't remember where exactly. I remember hanging out with Hisao and Kyohei for a bit, eating Christmas cake while trying to ignore these girls who kept trying to get us to play with them. I certainly wasn't trying to play house or dolls and by the annoyed look on Hisao's face as well as the uncomfortable smile on Kyohei's, they weren't either. I somehow managed to get away by explaining that I had to go to the bathroom and I do remember Hisao giving me a death glare for abandoning them, but I could give less of a shit. I decided that while I was gone, I might as well look for Sawada and give her my present. It took a few minutes as my dad's co-workers house was huge, so when I finally did find her, it was by their equally large Christmas Tree.  
She was staring at the weird looking lion ornament with small Christmas hat on it with sparkly eyes. I shook my head, wondering just what was up with her obsession with lions, but decided not to dwell on it too much. She was just weird like that...

As I got closer, she seemed to notice my presence and turned to look at me with a smile. "Hi, S-Shinonome-kun...are you enjoying th-the party?" She asked curiously, and I shrugged, holding my presents for her behind my back so she wouldn't see it just yet. 

"I guess..." I muttered. "The food's good, though these annoyin' girls won't leave me, Hisao, and Kyohei, alone..."

Sawada stilled at that, looking oddly frozen and the lights in the whole house flickered on and off for just a second before they cut back on like nothing happened. _'Huh,'_ I thought, looking up at the lights with a blank expression. _'Must've been a small black out...'_

I looked down at Sawada (not noticing how she was mumbling darkly under her breath) and continued to talk to her. "Anyway, I have somethin' for you."

Sawada looked back up at me with a curious expression on her face and I, feeling nervous for some reason, pulled out her presents from behind my back and presented it to her.

She blinked rapidly at my gift before looking up back at me, seemingly dumbfounded. "...eh?

I nodded my head a bit at her response, urging her to take the gifts. "This is for you; do you want it or not?" Sawada jumped at my words before quickly taking the gifts from my hands (I remember feeling her hands touch mine and I idly noted that they were very soft).

The gifts that she took was a small gift basket consisting of wagashi shaped lions, a Christmas card that I made for her, a small lion key chain thingy, a _Calpico_ _Hello Kitty_ peach drink, and some of those gourmet chocolates. The other were two roses (one white and one red) wrapped in festive, red and white paper. My mom and dad helped me get and pay for the flowers and chocolates, but I used my own money that I had saved from all the chores and stuff I did around the house and some odd jobs from my uncle or Kyohei's dad at his Boxing gym for the rest.

I watched, feeling strangely satisfied as the wondering expression on Sawada's face blossomed into one of joy as she gazed at both presents before looking up at me with rosy cheeks. "T-Thank you Shinonome-kun!"

I crossed my arms, giving a lazy shrug. "It's nothin' really, I just felt like givin' you somethin' nice..."

Sawada looked back at the flowers to smell them, before giving a contented sigh. "I'm so relieved...I thought you were mad at me or something..."

At her words, I gave the girl a surprised look. "What?" I asked, feeling very confused. "Why the heck would you think that?"

Sawada gave me a sheepish smile, fiddling with the orange bow I use to wrap her gift basket up. "W-well...for the past week, I noticed that you kept staring at me with this scary look on your face...I-I wondered if I had upset you or something?"

 _'Ah~So she did notice me observing her…'_ I thought, thinking back to the times where I would practically watch her every move whenever we met up. And it only got worst after Ms. Sawada told me to give  _THAT_  to Sawada and I was trying to come up with ways to give it to her, speaking of which...

I furrowed my brow at the thought before sighing a rubbing a hand through my combed back hair (Our moms had dressed us all up formally and so my mom made sure I looked prim and proper despite me telling her that I hate wearing ties and that they felt like they're choking me). "I wasn't mad at you Sawada, I was just tryin' to figure out what to give you for Christmas."

"E-eh?!" Sawada 'eeped', the blush coming back to her face. "Y-You didn't have to do all that for me..."

"Yeah, I know," I answered back, taking a few steps closer to her. "But I wanted to so that's, that."

Sawada nodded shakily at my words, looking down at her gifts. Her bangs covered most of her face, but I could see that the tips of her ears were bright red. I smiled at the amusing sight before putting my hand on her head and tousling her hair a bit.

"Would you be upset if I told you I have another present for you?" I stated, making her look up at me in shock.

"R-really?" She asked, and I nodded, brushing some hair away from her forehead. Now seemed like the perfect time to do it, hopefully she won't freak out too much and think I'm some kind of weirdo.

Sawada looked like she was going to say something else, but she stopped as I used the hand that I had on her head to lift up her chin. I leaned down towards her (feeling my heart speed up for some reason), and placed my lips on her forehead, giving her a kiss.

Ugh, just remembering it still makes me feel weird. I'm not saying that kissing Sawada was awful or anything it was just that...I don't know, it was just weird all right?! I had never really kissed anyone before (I had been kissed plenty of times by my grandmothers, aunts and my mom) so I had no idea on how to do it! So, don't get any funny ideas dammit!

I wasn't sure how long I had to keep kissing her forehead, so I just settled for around five seconds before stopping. I looked down at Sawada (who had completely frozen in place) and gave her a small smile. I didn't really know what else to say in this situation, so I only said what first appeared in my mind.

"Merry Christmas, Sawada..." I wished her, and my words seemed to knock her out of her frozen state. She blinked rapidly for a few moments before her heart shaped face started to fill with a festive red. This was normal, a common occurrence. What happened next, however, wasn't and so I watched in horror as the red-faced girl grew even redder to the point where she looked like a boiled lobster. Then after that, suddenly, a loud plume of steam puffed from her head and a goofy, dazed look bloomed across her face as her eyes swirled with delirium.

"What the hell?! SAWADA?!??!" I yelled in panic as she fainted into my arms with a happy sigh.

As I tried to wake up the fainted Sawada, I didn't notice about how the nearby adults who saw the whole thing were gushing about how cute the scene was or how Hisao was shaking his head at us. "Idiot couple..."

Later on, I was sitting on a couch with Sawada using my lap as a pillow, so she could rest. I sighed, glaring at the adults around us who were cooing about how cute we looked together. Why did Christmas have to be so troublesome...?

* * *

 

**_Omake~_ **

* * *

 

As Daiki and co were getting ready to leave, the loud and devastated cries of a few girls caught the three boys attention. 

"Hey..." Kyohei muttered, looking over towards the scene of three familiar looking girls who were crying and clinging on to their parents. "Aren't they the girls that were trying to play with us earlier?" Daiki looked over and realized that yes, those _were_ the girls that were bugging them earlier. He looked closer and realized that the girls were holding onto some dolls...well, he thought they were dolls. They all looked damaged beyond repair, some of them headless while others were missing limbs and hair.

"Oh dear..." Daiki's mother whispered, looking over at the girls worriedly. "What happened...?"

Daiki's dad walked up with his wife's coat and was putting it on her. "From what I heard, someone mutilated those girls' dolls..."

"That's horrible..." The woman mumbled as they all made their way outside. "Shame isn't? They just got those things today too..."

While the adults were walking away, Daiki, Hisao, and Kyohei traded weirded out or wary looks. All three of them found the whole thing strange and were wondering what happened and who would do such a disturbing thing until a small giggle made them freeze in fear.

All three of them turned to looked behind them only to see Sawada who had a surprisingly smug smile on her face. When she noticed the other boys were turning to look at her, however, she replaced her smirk with her usual small, slightly nervous smile.

"Y-You guys, we need to go...our parents are leaving!" The three boys watched as the girl rushed after their parents. They then all turned to look at each other all with the same thought in their mind.

"We saw nothing. Do you understand?" Hisao sternly stated as the other two nodded and with the pact, the three boys ran after their parents. They didn't know what those girls did to Tsuna, nor did they care as they ran with their minds warning them not to piss her off any time soon.

* * *

 


	6. The Baby, The fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely readers~! Sorry that this took such a long time to do, but since it's Spring Break and I have a lot of free time, I finally got to update! I might get the next chapter out pretty soon so please look forward to that! I hope you enjoy those chapter and that it was worth the long wait! ENJOY! (Also, you guys might've realized this already but a bunch of characters have been genderbended. I didn't really mean to do this, but it just kinda happend. I hope this doesn't annoy you guys or anything, but if it does I apologize whole heartily and will try to keep that at a minimum.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its many forms! I'm only here to entertain~

_**Chapter 6: The Baby, The fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 1)**_

* * *

Hmm…You know what? I've been thinking and I've come to a sudden realization that I should wait a bit before I tell you the rest of my encounters...Like what fun would that be to just flat out tell you about all the girls that I met in my past (kinda sounds like I'm bragging when I saw it like that huh?)? It's much more interesting to hold out until the perfect mind blow, kinda like the trump card to shock and amaze the audience no? It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I’m lazy or that it's too troublesome and I just want to procrastinate my flashbacks till I have to. Nothing like that at all, in fact why would you even think that? Do you not have faith in my ability to do things? Shame on you. Hmm? What the hell am I talking about? That, dear reader, is something that I don't even know. So~I think it's time to get to the true beginning to all the madness in my life. I could blame my situation on every single person that has been mentioned in this story, included me, and I would be justified, but what really set things on runaway train mode was but a simple baby...that's right...A freaking toddler...let me explain.

It was sometime in September and Autumn had just begun. It was still warm and sunny, and the fall chill hadn't settled in yet. I had been fourteen at the time and I had been a first-year middle schooler for quite a few months at the time. That particular day had been an early Tuesday and I was still asleep in my bed despite me having to go to school in forty minutes. I lived, like, three blocks from my school and I can pretty much fast walk from my house to there in like ten minutes so there was really no need to rush.

My mother, on the other hand, didn't think so.

* * *

Humming could be heard coming from a modest little house in the early morning. A short woman with equal in length pixie cut black hair, a splash of light freckles across her face, and sharp green eyes was putting bread in a toaster (the one thing even she couldn't burn...most of the time) when the doorbell rang. Shinonome Miyuki whipped her hands before going to answer the door. When she slid the front door open, she was greeted by two pairs of eyes, one a happy golden brown and the other an apathetic black.

"Hello Mrs. Shinonome!" The shorter of the two boys who had short bright orange hair called out politely with a princely smile on his face. The other had shoulder medium length black hair and had his arms crossed. He regarded the woman with a passive stare. "Yo, Aunt Miyuki." He regarded cooly and a happy music note emote from the woman as she looked at her son's friend and cousin.

"Kyohei-kun...Hisao-kun..."

Mrs. Shinonome gave a small nod towards the boys before she gestured for the two to come in. "My, My...you boys are here so early...usually Dai-chan would go to your houses instead..." She said as the boys came in while excusing themselves.

"Sorry for the intruding at such an early time, but Daiki-kun, Hisao-kun, and I have duties to do before school starts!" The orange haired boy said brightly while the other boy hummed in agreement.

"The monkeys in our class couldn't do it so the teachers came to us for help like always...lazy bastards." He muttered bitterly.

Miyuki nodded her head knowingly before gasping in sudden thought raising a hand to her mouth. "Oh...I forgot to wake up Dai-chan...please wait a moment boys, he'll be down in a few..." The woman called to them softly as she walked towards a cabinet and pulled out a large air horn and a megaphone, before skipping up the stairs. She walked down the hall, humming a little tune and when she got to a door at the end of it, she proceeded to SWAT kick it open and began to blow the horns like she was at some rave party.

"SWEETIE IT'S TIME TO WAKE UUUUUPPPPP!" The mother spoke into the megaphone, somehow overpowering the blaring horn in her hand.

The five cats who were previously snoozing on the bed jumped and screeched at the loud sound, darting out of the room with dismayed hisses. A large lump covered in a thick comforter shifted ever so slightly on the bed and a sleepy yawn could be heard from it. "...ah~yeah, yeah I'm up, I'm up..."

* * *

In my comatose sleep, I did not notice when my mother stomped up the stairs, slammed my door open, and then continued to blow two air horns reeeaallly~ close to my ear, uncaring of both my hearing and the neighbor's. From what people have told me in the past, I am a very heavy sleeper. Apparently, I slept through a fire emergency at my school. Nobody could find me since I was knocked out behind some bushes during recess and by the time I woke up, I was greeted by a full-on search party looking for me, a hysterical mother and Sawada, and one very worried and pissed off father. I was grounded for a month after that and since then both my parents have made it their goal to fix my sleeping problem. Hence the reason why she just busted into my room like a mad woman. I was actually surprised that woke me up on the first try considering it usually takes this and her jumping up and down on my bed to get me at least half awake.

* * *

Miyuki slowly blinked, throwing the items in her hand towards a random corner in the room before she skipped towards her son who was pushing his blankets off of him with groggy eyes. "Dai-chan...wakey, wakey...Kyohei-kun and Hisao-kun are here to walk to school with you..."

Daiki looked towards his mother with half lidded eyes, before yawning again. "...Oh, yeah...we got that thing today at school..."

Miyuki nodded enthusiastically. "Un...so if you don't want to be late then you better get up...breakfast will be ready in a few...I'm makin’ Breakfast sandwiches..."

Daiki looked towards his mom and then towards his bed room door that was hanging off of its hinges. He could see thick, black billowing smoke wafting through the hallway and heard something that suspiciously sounded like his houses fire alarming going off.

"Goddammit! AUNT MIYUKI! YOU LEFT THE DAMN BREAD IN THE TOASTER FOR TOO LONG!" Hisao roared from downstairs as a shaky voiced Kyohei followed soon after.

"I-is that? Did she put bacon and eggs in there?!"

"She did  _what?!_...Oh my god, she even left the egg shells in there. Tch! the fire's getting bigger! Kyohei! Get a blanket or something!"

"A-ah! I'm on it!"

The very tall young man turned towards his still, stoic mother who seemed blissfully unaware of what was going on at the moment. "Well, while you get dressed sweetie I'm goin' to call the fire department again...I wonder how Takahasi-san is doin'?...I heard his wife had a beautiful baby girl and he promised me pictures..." And with that she walked out of his room.

He sighed, shaking his head and rolled out of his bed. "Thank god our insurance covers house fires."

* * *

Hisao, Kyohei, and I had been walking to school for a few minutes after leaving the house (mom kissed us all goodbye and the guys from Namimori Fire Department sent us off as well), talking about random crap ("Why would you put dog crap in Nezu's shoes?" "Why would I not?" "I think the main question is how he managed to do it...").

It was silent amongst the three of us for that span of time until  **it**  happened.

**"Ciaossu!"**

* * *

The cutesy voice rang out, shattering the quiet that surrounded them. If you want an example of how it sounded, play a game or watch an anime called Danganronpa and listen when Monokuma makes his first appearance. Daiki could guarantee you with 100% certainty, that the feeling of foreboding dread that he was experiencing at that moment was exactly what the characters were feeling when they heard the squeaky, little voice. It was a strange feeling, one he had never experienced before. It wasn't fear, but it wasn't comfort either. Like an invisible force was pushing down on him, silently threatening him and forcing him to unconsciously tense.

He looked towards where the voice came from and his eyes slowly widened in shock.

For standing there, but a few feet away from them, was a baby...

I know, I know...What kind of drugs was he on? Well let me tell that our dear protagonist was 100% lucid at the time and was nowhere near any hallucinogens. I swear on my Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate, Dead ass, no lie, there was a freaking baby just standing there in the middle of the damn side walk.

He was a weird looking little guy too. Barely came up to Daiki's knees, weirdly shaped head with curly side burns, wore a suit and a fedora with an orange stripe, and had some weird looking lizard sitting on his shoulder. The baby just stared up at them with those large black eyes and little cat like smile and vice versa. They stayed like that for a good minute until Kyohei's voice broke through the silence

"Wah~!" He said with a gentle smile on his face, crouching down so that he was closer to the kid. "How cute!" He cheered while Hisao was looking at the kid like he was some kind of freakishly huge bug or disease.

"Gah! Keep that brat away from me! You know how they give me hives!" He grumbled, rubbing his arms up and down in agitation.

"Women don't like men who aren't nurturin'. You'll be one of those dead-beat dads who refuse to pay child support at this rate." Daiki drawled at his cousin, ignoring the glare he threw at him in retaliation.

The black-haired boy walked over to the strange baby and crouched down as well, still managing to dwarf him. He just stared at him with a strange glint in those weirdly emotionless eyes. Something about the kid was setting warning bells off in the back of Daiki's head, but he just brushed it off. It was just a toddler after all, what harm could he do? Puke on him? Crap himself?

"Hey kid?" He asked stoically, face drawn in mild interest. "You lost or somethin'? Where are yer parents?"

"And why are you wearing a suit?" Kyohei added curiously while Hisao gave him a dry stare.

"Why is that the only thing that stood out to you?" He mumbled while the baby answered the red head's question without missing a beat.

"Because I'm in the mafia!" He squeaked out non-chalantly, tone not fitting the context of his confession.

"Waah~!" Kyohei clapped in amazement, eyes closing in humor. "How cool!"

"No, no, no." Hisao stated, quickly waving his hand back and forth in denial. "Not cool Kyohei, I think you have your priorities wrong."

"Mafia eh?" Daiki entertained, putting a hand on the baby's head. "If you're in the mafia think you could get me an appointment with Al Capone? I have a few idiots that I want taken care of by Saturday. First one's name is Kurokawa His-"

But Daiki's request was cut off as his Cousin slammed his book bag on top of his head with an audible _THUAK_! "Shut the hell up you damn monkey." He demanded coldly, face down turned in annoyance.

Daiki had blood comically bursting from his head, but his expression was still impassive as he looked at his cousin. "What was that for you jerk? Did you really have to hit me like that? You're a demon, a sadist, a pervert."

"BE QUIET YOU IDIOT!" His relative yelled, an angry tick mark marring his forehead as Kyohei laughed at the exchange besides him. "And stop touching that kid! God knows what kind of germs he's got!"

"I think you're thinking of strays Hisao!" The golden eyed male cheerfully supplied as the addressed male huffed and crossed his arms.

"Did I stutter?!"

"I'm looking for a no-good student of mine." The baby suddenly asked, attracting the three males' attention. "Have you seen her anywhere?"

 _'No good student...her?'_  Daiki thought with a blink, something about the boy's weird question catching his attention. Maybe the kid meant he was looking for his sister or his mom? The green-eyed boy looked towards Kyohei and Hisao who looked just as confused as he was, before looking back towards the fedora wearer and shaking their head.

"Nope, haven't seen anyone kid." Daiki answered while Kyohei looked down at him with a sympathetic smile.

"Do you need any help finding your mom little guy?"

"No grazie!" He replied, walking away from them with a dismissive air. "I can find her myself!"

"Are your sure" The Sasagawa brother asked, looking worried, while Hisao scoffed and began walking away as well.

"Tch! Let's get going before we're late. Someone else will come across the brat eventually."

"If you say so..." The red-head mumbled before quickly smiling, calling out a "Bye, bye kid! Good luck!" and following behind his friend. Daiki continued to stare at the strange baby, not missing how un-childlike he acted. He seemed way to composed and literate for someone his age and it honestly kinda freaked him out. Was he one of those child prodigies he'd hear about on T.V? Or was it like some Detective Conan shit where he was actually a teenager in a kid’s body? And what about that remark from earlier? _"No good student"_ huh? Sounded familiar...

"Daiki-kun~!" Kyohei called out when he realized his other friend wasn't following. "What's wrong?"

Daiki looked at the retreating back of the baby before closing his eyes and walking towards his companions. "Nothin’...just spaced out..."

* * *

After that weird encounter, the three of us continued on our way to school, just talking about random crap and enjoying the crisp morning air. I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing day with no more troublesome incidents happening, but that dream was quickly dashed as the shrill call of a she-wench stopped us in our tracks.

My face immediately settled into a scowl as the figure of a black-haired girl came rushing up to Kyohei with a goo-goo eyed smile and latched on to his arm.

"Kyohei-kun~!" Mochida Keiko cooed in that annoying voice of hers, batting her eyes at a flustered looking Kyohei.

"A-ah! Mochida-senpai..."

Mochida Keiko, as mentioned before, was our upper classmen and captain of the kendo team as well as #1 on my "Annoying Monkeys List" (and trust me when I say it's a reeeally long list).

For some unknown demented reason, the monkey banshee had somehow delusioned herself into thinking she was Kyohei's girlfriend. I don't know how it happened, but one day she started acting all sweet on him and the story goes on from there. I honestly wouldn't have given less of a crap if it wasn't for the fact that she would bring her equally annoying friends to wherever we were and drive us up the damn wall. I also didn't appreciate how she always tried to treat Sawada like some brainless gopher, calling her that damn nick-name that has followed her even to middle school and trying to make her do inane tasks like get them snacks and what not.

Hisao and I had made it quite clear on many occasions on how we felt about her presence, but it seemed only the words of Kyohei would get her to leave us alone. Sadly, my dear friend was too much of a nice guy to go tell the girl to kindly fuck off.

"What are you doing here so early Kyohei-kun~?" She asked, flitting her eyelashes up at said boy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"U-uh...well the P.E. teacher asked us to help set up for the run today in P.E..." He mumbled while rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Aw~! You're so helpful and responsible Kyohei-kun~!" Mochida tittered like a demonic chipmunk prompting Kyohei to chuckle weakly and for me and Hisao to gag silently at the gross display of affection. I swear, if all the girls at our school acted like this, I might've gone insane. (Sadly, a good portion of them did, whether it be with their respective boyfriends or crushes).

I sighed, wishing it was Sawada here instead of the banshee monkey. Hell, I'd literally take  _ANYONE_  else instead of her. God this was going to be a troublesome walk...

The next couple of minutes were spent with me and Hisao having to endure word after word of flirting from Mochida and silent pleas of help from Kyohei. Hey, I would've helped the guy out, but seeing as interrupting Mochida in anyway would get me a one-way ticket to "Bitchsville", I wasn't even gonna attempt it. I was way too tired to argue with her at the moment, but it seemed Hisao was going to lose it any second now if he heard one more coquettish giggle from the brunette.

I remember praying to the powers that be for a miracle to happen, just something to end our suffering, and we had just rounded the corner from Nami-chuu when something, indeed, did happen. It happened so fast, in fact, that I could barely catch _what_ exactly happened. There was a streak of orange and brown, a yell of energy and a yelp of shock and pain coming from Mochida and Kyohei, and then a loud thud comparable to a sack of potatoes falling to the ground.

I looked to where the unofficial couple were, and my eyes widened involuntarily at the second, strangest sight that presented itself to me today.

"...W...What the _hell?_ " Hisao grumbled out after a few beats of silence with narrowed, confused eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing and second guessing himself. I couldn't help but nod along with his statement, thinking my mom must've put something in those breakfast sandwiches.

For it wasn't every day that you see your childhood, female friend sprawled half naked over your other childhood friend on the ground with fire coming out of her forehead.

Sawada looked down on Kyohei (who couldn't have looked more confused and shocked) with intense pin prick glowing eyes that exuded a burning determination. The flame on her forehead raging uncontrollably like a blazing inferno. The four of us stared at each other for a few moments until the flame flickered out like someone blew out a candle. Her eyes went from blazing resolve to dull confusion akin to someone suddenly waking up from a deep sleep or a coma.

Her eyes were hazy for a few moments before they cleared with a couple of blinks. She looked down at Kyohei in confusion and then looked down at herself, scandalously clad in bear themed underwear. What happened next was actually kind of impressive.

As if in slow motion, her expression went from confused, to shock, to growing horror, to horror, and finally full-blown hysteria while her face was as bright as a boiled lobster.

"h...h...hi-" She whimpered and choked and the three of us immediately knew what was going to happen.

"Oh shit-" Kyohei, Hisao, and I mumbled in different variations of dread as we all covered our ears just as the imminent explosion of Sawada's self-control finally went off.

**"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

And her screech of panic could be heard the town over...

* * *

It took an impressive amount of time for Sawada to finally stop shrieking to high heaven and by the time she was done, nearly every fragile object had cracked or completely shattered by the brunette's sound wave. I grimaced at the ringing in my ears and dug my pinky in to see if I could still hear normally.

"Wow, she managed to break past the five-minute mark...new record..." Hisao grumbled taking his hands off of his ears with a scowl. Yep, I could still hear his iconic snark.

Sawada looked like she could care less about the destructive power of her voice, all she could do was gasp and choke like a fish out of water, quickly back peddling off of Kyohei and into the legs of one forgotten female.

Sawada squeaked before shakily turning her head up to look at the banshee monkey who was certainly looking the part of her namesake. Mochida's painted lips were pulled back in a snarl and her eyes seemed to burn holes through the very concrete. I also noted her makeup was runny as well as the soaked state of her hair and clothes. It seemed that when Sawada had knocked into Kyohei, she also accidentally knocked Mochida into a bucket of dirty cleaning water from some guy who was cleaning some windows nearby (windows that laid shattered on the ground, much to the guy's despair).

I could see Sawada gulp from where I stood as she gave a nervous smile. "U-Uh...Hi...Senpai...hehe...he..."

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" The banshee monkey screeched in outrage before quickly whipping around and running towards the school. "JUST WAIT UNTIL EVERYONE HEARS ABOUT THIS YOU PERVERT!" She roared back before she rushed in to the school gates.

* * *

"A-Ah~! Tsuna-chan! A-Are you alright...?" Kyohei asked with his eyes closed and a worried smile, holding up his hands in a placating manner.

"..." If there was a sound for suicidal embarrassment, Sawada just made it. She wouldn't even look up from the ground as she walked next to me clinging to my shirt with a grip of death as a dark cloud of doom hung over her. I had given her my black sweater (which pretty much looked like a weird looking dress on her) to wear for the mean time and had my hand on her shoulder, silently guiding/holding onto her in case she managed to trip. She didn't need any more embarrassment on such a lovely morning...

"Stu~pid. Of course she's not alright. I mean look at her, she looks close to passing out from overheating." Hisao drawled with his arms crossed and Kyohei sweat dropped and let out a nervous chuckle.

"A-Ah~when you say it like that...I hope she isn't  _too_  upset."

"Oh, she is. Very much so...but as long as we don't use any trigger words and get her a change of clothes before someone sees, she should calm down by the time we make it to school." I added softly so Sawada wouldn't hear, not doubting for a second that if someone were to even glance at Sawada right now she would go into full blown panic mode again. I, personally, was very curious as to why she was gallivanting around in her unmentionables and was tempted to ask, but thought better against it. I decided to just wait a few hours for her to completely cool down.

Luckily as we walked on, we didn't run into anyone, probably because it was so early that barely anyone was up. We decided to stop at Hisao's house since it was closer and try to find Sawada some clothes.

We walked up towards his house/family's flower shop and Hisao slid the door open with an annoyed. "I'm home-"

 **"YOU LITTLE BRATS!"**  A rough growl roared out as Hisao flew back a few feet from a rouge geta sandal hitting him square in the face. Me and Kyohei paled at the sight as we realized our grievous error of coming to his house at this time of day instead of ours.

For standing there, in all of her middle-aged glory, was the imposing form of Kurokawa Fumiko, a.k.a: My aunt and Hisao's mom.

My aunt wasn't, by any means, the stereotypical docile, well-mannered house wife. In fact, I'd say she was probably the most violent and strongest woman I had met in my life (second to my mother if she hadn't had her daily morning tea which was the only thing she couldn't set on fire). Whenever she would catch us "misbehaving" or doing "bratty" things, we'd get a scolding, a fist to the head, or worse, the dreaded Japanese variant of "La Chancla" such as the punishment Hisao was just administered.

Said boy was on the ground, trembling in pain as we stood there like a dear in head lights, hoping and praying that my aunt wouldn't turn on us yet.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?! Skipping school like a bunch of no good delinquents!" She growled at us with narrowed, black eyes that seared through my very soul.

"A-ah!...Mrs. Fu-Fumiko!" Kyohei stuttered, face a sickly white of fear. "G-Good morning!"

"Peh! Good morning my foot! Why are you brats here and not at school?! You better not be thinking of playing those stupid video games for hours on end again right?!" She demanded turning an accusatory look towards me now. I flinched at her glare, before quickly composing myself and coughing to get my thoughts straight. Okay Daiki, you got this! Just don't let her smell your fear...

"A-ah...Aunt Fumiko...we had run into a...uh...little problem on our way to school..."

"Haa~?" She drawled in disbelief, crossing her arms. "What kind of problem?"

Wordlessly, I moved to show a still unresponsive Sawada and my aunt's eyes widened when she took in Sawada's sweater clad form. I had thought the concern for Sawada would outweigh the wrath for us skipping school, but my hopes were dashed as I met a similar fate to my cousin; face full of sandal as I writhed in pain on the ground.

"You  ** _IDIOTS!_** " She shouted, pulling Sawada towards her protectively while walking her inside. "What the hell were you three thinking letting her stand out there in her underwear?! Why didn’t you say anything?! Kids these days, I swear!"

My aunt’s cursing and grumbles grew fainter as she walked deeper into the house and all I could do was just think about how I could never go a day without troublesome shit happening.

* * *

"Tch!" Hisao clicked his teeth, dark grey eyes appearing black in ire. "Damn old lady and her friggin' shoe...I should've called CPS in a heartbeat…"

Daiki, Hisao, Kyohei, and (a now dressed) Tsunayomi were sitting in different places of Hisao's bedroom, the former two nursing their injuries while the latter two sat in the aftermaths of embarrassment, only glad they weren't given equal punishment. The Kurokawa femme fatale might mean well and love them dearly, but she took "Tough love" to whole new heights.

Daiki was lounging on Hisao's bed, drinking a bottle of Calpis soda that was meant for his lunch today. He was trying to remember the last time he had such a troublesome day. Could it be that time when the four of them managed to blow up the science room and had detention for a month? Or maybe there was that time when they were caught putting laxatives in Nezu's coffee that one morning and had to clean all the bathrooms in the school (in their defense, that bastard had failed him and his friends on that Science test all because they weren't wearing their uniforms correctly)? Never the less, this day was entirely too much, what with Sawada football tackling Kyohei in her underwear, the monkey banshee talking their ears off, and that weird baby...

 _'Speaking of which...'_  Daiki thought, before turning his head towards Tsuna who was sitting on a chair besides him. "Sawada."

Said girl jumped a little at her name and turned curious eyes over to the tall boy. "Y-yes, Daiki-kun?"

The boy, remembering the baby's statement of looking for his _"No good student"_ , couldn't see the harm in asking the girl. Maybe the kid was some unknown cousin of her's from her dad's side or something?

"Do you know somethin' about a kid in a fedora and a suit?" He asked, not really expecting any kind of reaction other than confusion or maybe faint realization, but the reaction he got instead was quiet shocking.

Tsunayomi's eyes grew wide with distress and she looked close to fainting, pale and sweating buckets. She was also making these weird, old man sounding gasps and grunts of distress, as if she was chocking or couldn't breathe.

The three boys looked at her in equal variations of shock, all thinking one thing.

_'WHAT THE HELL?!'_

"A-ah...Tsuna-chan?" Kyohei cautioned slowly, raising out a hand in comfort. "Are you...are you alright?"

"Yeah?" Hisao mumbled, eyebrows furrowed which managed to hide the concerned tone in them. "You look like you're having a heart attack..." He may like to act aloof or uncaring, but he did care for his friends a lot. Daiki was in the same boat and was even reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention, but before he could, a familiar voice stopped him.

_"A good mafia boss shouldn't pass out under any circumstances Dame-Tsuna."_

Daiki couldn't believe his ears, and by the looks of his friends faces, neither could they. The quartet turned to look at Hisao's door, which had a familiar figure standing in front of it.

The baby, in all its little mafioso glory, gave a tiny wave at them all. "Ciaossu!"

* * *

The next day, in my opinion, was probably one of the most troublesome days in my life...

It all started out normal, my mom came in with the air horns to wake me up, freaking out my five cats, her almost burning down the house while making pancakes, her and the fire department waving me off for a good day at school, and I met up with Kyohei and Hisao at their houses. The only weird thing about this though, is when we went to pick up Sawada as she wasn't there. Mrs. Sawada said something about how she and her tutor went out earlier for a morning run. I couldn't help but be suspicious though, especially after yesterday when the baby came back and suddenly whisked Sawada away, talking about how lunch was waiting, and her mom was worried. They were gone before we could stop them and the three of us couldn't help but wonder what the fuck just happened.

Look here, despite the popular belief, I'm not an idiot. I knew immediately that something was off about that baby and yesterday's events were proving it. Now with Sawada's mom saying she was out with some "Tutor", it got my brain working. It may have sound crazy, but something in my gut told me that this tutor and that baby had a lot in common with each other. I thought this yes, but I didn't really have solid evidence to prove my theory, so we just continued on our way to school with me thinking to ask Sawada about all this when we meet up there.

The three of us managed to make it to school on time, but I couldn't help but notice the large amount of Disciplinary Committee members at the gate who appeared to be looking for someone.

Wanna hear something that can give you nightmares?  ** _Namimori middle's Disciplinary Committee_**. What's so scary about them? Well, let Daiki tell you a tale. It is a tale of men...and monsters~! The gist is that they're a group of prefects who claim to maintain order in the school and uphold the rules. Sounds nice right?  ** _W.R.O.N.G._**

You see, while they do maintain order, they do so using violet, bordering on illegal means. They're really just a bunch of female delinquents who left a life of crime for a dictatorship. They may look harmless, but their ferocity could rival a pack of lionesses and at the leader of this pack was their merciless sukeban/leader: **_Hibari Kyoko_** (And yes, the bolded, italicized, and underline letters were required).

I never had the horrifically bad luck of personally confronted the chick, but I've seen and heard of her plenty of times, beating the ever-living shit out of anyone she considered to be breaking the rules or crowding with her favorite pair of tonfas (I mean really? Friggin’ _Tonfas?!_  Weren't weapons not allowed on school grounds?!). People talked about her like she was a demon from hell and how she ruled the school with an iron fist. I personally thought they were just being a bunch of punk bitches. I mean yeah, she could kick the ass of every guy at the school, but as long as you stayed out of her way and didn't cause a commotion, you would be good. I haven't had a single encounter with her, believe it or not (especially with my extensive track record), and I intended it stay that way.

Still, it was weird how there were so many of them staking out the school like this, they usually didn't go to such lengths or numbers...

Hisao seemed to notice this too, as he looked around with scowling curiosity. "Seems some moron managed to piss of the DC..."

"Really?" Kyohei asked in surprise, seeming to realize the sudden influx of dangerous females running around.

I stared around a bit more, before fixing my glasses and continuing to my class. Yeah I was curious, but it had nothing to do with me. Maybe I can catch the gist of what's happening from those gossiping idiots in class.

By the time we made it though, it seemed everyone was fitting up to leave as a bunch of them ran out with excited chatter and cat calls. I stared on blankly while trading looks with my cousin and friend. Seems shit was starting to crazy. I was going to say something, but the words of some guy next to me stop me dead.

"Dame-Tsuna...kendo...so dead!" Was all that I could catch, before I managed to snag the guy who was talking by the back of his shirt and lift him up with ease. I made sure to put on my most emotionless face (which I had soon learned scared people the most) and I inwardly smirked at the scared look on the guy's face as he realized who had just stopped him.

"Sh-Shinonome!" He stuttered with a shaky smile, feet dangling uselessly from his plight. The group of guys around us stopped as well, either in fear or curiosity. "Ho-How have ya been man?! We mis-missed you yesterday~!"

"Meh, could be better..." I shrugged, never taking my eyes off of him as I lightly swung his back and forth. "But you know what could make my day better? If you tell me what's goin' on."

"O-Oh!" The guy sighed, relieved that I wasn't directly pissed at him. I mean, he wasn't wrong, but depending on what he told me about Sawada his day could either go up or down. It's all relative at this stage. "I-I'm shocked you guys didn't hear! Especially you Kyohei!"

Kyohei looked surprised at his mentioning while me and Hisao traded questioning looks.

"Me?" The orange-haired boy asked while Hisao asked his own question.

"What are you talking about?” He demanded with a furrowed brow, mouth set in a grimace. “What's happening?"

I put the guy back down so he could explain properly, and he gave me a wary, yet thankful look before explaining himself. "Well you see, while you guys were gone yesterday, Mochida was on a war path! She told us Sawada had purposefully pushed her in a bucket of water to hit on Kyohei in her underwear! So, to defend your honor, she challenged Sawada to a kendo duel that's gonna start thirty minutes from now! I was on my way to watch the fight until you guys stopped me!" He explained in a breathless rush and I felt something dark stir in my gut at his words.

"She did what?!" Kyohei cried in disbelief while Hisao looked almost insulted.

"Yeah dude!" One of the other guys shouted, getting similar agreements from his companions. "Mochida was pissed _off!_ Going around talking about how she was gonna teach Sawada a thing or two and how she'll regret ever pushing her!"

"It's gonna be awesome! We haven't seen a cat fight in ages!" Another idiot, a guy who actually looked like a monkey named Morishita Saruto, cried in glee with a nosebleed while the others made similar excited exclamations. 

"You damn, perverted monkeys!" Hisao growled, fixing an irritated glare towards the rowdy group. "What kind of crap is that? Sawada didn't push that witch into that bucket on purpose and she certainly wasn't trying to hit on Kyohei." He snapped as Kyohei agreed with him.

"He's right! While she did knock into us, she didn't mean to do it on purpose! It's a misunderstanding!"

The first guy could only raise his hands in consent. "Hey man, I'm not saying I believed her or anything, I was just going to watch the fight before Hibari came to shut it down."

"Hibari-senpai?!" Kyohei shouted in worry and even Hisao looked a bit pale at his words.

"Yeah man!" Morishita said, nodding his head rapidly. "I heard some of the girls from the DC saying that Hibari herself was going to bite everyone who was at the fight to death for skipping class and disturbing the peace!"

I didn't hear what he had to say after that, nor did I care. I took off towards the gym, ignoring the calls from my two friends. There was no way I was going to let Sawada get killed by that demon prefect because of that delusional banshee monkey. I had to stop this shit show now, before it was too late!

* * *

Daiki ran for what felt like an eternity, trying to find the damn school gym! I mean, their school wasn't the largest middle school in the world, but damn was it a bitch to navigate! He ended up making it to some hall before he finally took a break to clear his thoughts. Okay, if he was a school gym, where would he be?! Before he could really start thinking of any possible ideas however, Hisao's enraged voice stopped his train of thought.

The glasses wearing boy turned to see his cousin dashing towards him with a battle cry before slumping with his hands on his knees in exhaustion.

"Hisao?" He asked blankly, tilting my head. "What are you doin' followin' me? Ah! Could it be that you couldn't stand bein' apart from m-"

His Cousin's answer to his unfinished question was a devastating round house kick to the face which knocked Daiki flat to the ground with a cry of pain.

"M-Moron..." The grey-eyed boy snarled between pants, watching as his cousin struggled to get up.

"W-why?" The injured boy gritted between his teeth, inklings of hurt and betrayal filling his eyes. "Why mu-must you hurt me like this... _my bruzza?!_ "

"DON'T _"BRUZZA"_ ME YOU DUMB ASS!" Hisao shouted, doing a marvelous impression of his mother by putting his hands on his hips and scowling. "What the heck did you think you were doing running off like that?! You were going to do something stupid again weren't you?!"

"Of course not." The green-eyed boy stated while pushing up his glasses with his fingers. "Only idiots would run in head first into dangerous territory such as this. I had a carefully constructed battle plan."

"Why do I find that very hard to believe?" The other boy asked dryly, crossing his arms with an unimpressed look.

"Because you're a non-believer, my dear Cousin."

"I believe you're an idiot."

"Once again, I can confidently say that I'm not an idiot Hisao, I'm just too lazy to show you how smart I am."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither does Iggy Azalea's freestyles, but people still listen to her."

"Who the hell is Iggy Aza-"

"Anyway," Daiki cut in quickly, turning around to continue his search. "I'm lookin' for the gym so I can stop Sawada from gettin' killed so if you would excuse me-"

"You do realize the gym is in the other direction, right?" Hisao cut in as well, tone dryer than a dessert.

It was silent for a few moments as the two cousins looked at each other blankly before Daiki turned back and lifted his glasses. "...Shortcut."

"SHORTCUT MY ASS!" Hisao shouted, looking ready to throw something at the taller boy. "Just admit that you have no idea where you're going!"

"Hey, where's Kyohei at?" The other asked instead, looking around for his short, orange-haired friend. Hisao twitched at the blatant dismissal, looking ready to go on some more before he sighed and combed his hair back with his fingers.

"Well, just like a certain someone tried to do, Kyohei ran off to the gym to see if he could put a stop to the fight. I tried to go with him, but he asked for me to find you instead, saying that if he couldn't stop the fight, you could or whatever." He explained tiredly while Daiki looked on. He felt much more at ease at the idea of Kyohei being there, but there was still the threat of the DC running around.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Hisao asked his cousin in that bored tone of his, but how he said it made seem as if he already knew what he was going to do.

Daiki didn't waste a second before walking past his cousin. "Well first I'm goin' to have a talk with Kyohei about his taste in women, then I'm goin' to drag both him and Sawada out of there before the demon queen appears."

Hisao sighed, as if he didn't expect anything else and quickly fell in line with his Cousin. "Well let me show you where it is before you get lost again."

"...You know...that Tsundereness of yours is quite endearin' once you get used to it."

"Shut the hell up you damn idiot."

The two boys barely took any steps, however, before an authoritative voice stopped them in their tracks.

**"You two, stop right there!"**

Daiki and Hisao were frozen in place by the words, before slowly turning their heads around behind them.

Our dear protagonist felt something inside him up and die at the sight of over a dozen girls dressed in long skirts, face masks, and black gloves glaring at him with predatory looks who seemed to have come out of nowhere. A female with long, black, permed hair and dark eyes scowled at them with a look of demand before she lifted up her led pipe in challenge.

**"I, Kusakabe Tetsuna of the Namimori Middle Disciplinary Committee, order you to explain why you're are not in class?!"**

Daiki and Hisao still stared blankly at the girls before looking at each other, only one thing coming to mind.

**"Fuck."**


	7. The Baby, The fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah~! Guess who hadn't update in a while~! This girl!
> 
> Yeah, sorry about that. I usually write any chapters for my stories when I have bursts of inspiration so I worked on this little by little over the months.
> 
> Despite that, I hope you can enjoy this chapter as things get rather crazy here~!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its many forms! I'm only here to entertain~

_**Chapter 7: The Baby, The fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 2)** _

* * *

Have you ever been in a situation where you immediately knew you were screwed no matter what? Well that's how Daiki felt as the sinking feeling of dread he was experiencing grew larger the longer he stood in front of the scrutinizing glares of the Disciplinary Committee, all armed and ready to dish out any kind of punishment to the poor saps who were caught breaking the rules in front of them. Poor saps like Daiki and Hisao...

"You two!" Kusakabe Tetsuna demanded with a glare, no nonsense tone making it hard to ignore. "Explain yourselves! Why are you out of class? You wouldn't be trying to go to the fight in the gym, right?"

The two black haired boys both lifted their hands in the air like they were being questioned by the police. "Why of course not officer," Daiki coolly lied through his teeth, though he felt anything but on the inside. It'd be a miracle if they got out of the situation unscathed. "We were just comin' back from droppin' somethin' off at the office for a teacher."

It was obvious that the girl didn't really believe them as she switched her gaze over to Hisao. "What was it that you were dropping off?"

"We were just dropping off the running test results for Yasuhiro-Sensei." Hisao replied smoothly, going along with Daiki's lie almost as if he was telling the truth. Said boy mentally applauded the other's stroke of genius. Out of all the teachers in the school, Daiki and his friends were especially close to their P.E. Teacher, Iori Yasuhiro. They treated each other like friends rather than just teacher and student so if they ever needed a favor done, they could count on each other. All they had to do was ask Yasuhiro-sensei to lie his ass off for them and they'd be scott free! Thank God for social links!

Kusakabe continued to study the two Cousins intensely before lowering her pipe, seemingly satisfied. "Hurry and return to your classes immediately, and next time have a hall pass with you when you go out."

"Yes, ma'am" The two boys promised in sync, bowing low in respect. Kusakabe nodded in return before turning to address the girls behind her.

"Let's hurry to the gym before Kyo-san gets there! We must try to maintain as much order as possible. Take the short way from where we came from."

"Yes, Kusakabe nee-san!" The group declared before quickly turning around and leaving. Kusakabe spared the two boys with one last look before following her women.

Daiki and Hisao shared a relived glance, almost not believing that they got away with it. That was way too eas-

"SHINONOME! KUROKAWA!"

The two addressed boys felt their hearts stop at the call of their names and turned to look at the idiot who had the gall to-

"HEEEEY!" Morishita Saruto, the spiky hair brunet, monkey faced boy along with the twelve group of guys from earlier were quickly running towards them with determined looks on their faces. "WE'VE COME TO HELP YOU GUYS STOP THE DC FROM STOPPING SAWADA'S AND MOCHIDA'S FIGHT!"

"And it's not because we want to see a cat fight or anything!" The guy Daiki had picked up from his shirt, Yamada Taro, waved gleefully as the group behind them roared in agreement.

The cousins couldn't believe what they were hearing, and their faces were drawn in comical horror, pale and sweating buckets.

"Y-YOU IDIOTS!" Hisao and Daiki screamed in distress with the latter cracking his knuckles in a rare show of visible agitation. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-?"

But his demanded inquiry was cut short by a swift and sharp wind to his cheek. The whole hall went silent at the oppressive intimidation of the force of death from behind them. Daiki didn't even dare to breath as his eyes carefully rolled to catch sight of a certain lead pipe that was ever so slightly touching his cheek.

"Would you care to repeat that?" Kusakabe politely inquired, but her dark tone made it seem like a demand more than anything.

The group of males in front of Daiki all had "Scream-esque" expressions on their faces as they seemed to realize the grievous error they had made.

"E-eh~?" The green-eyed male asked in higher pitched tone than usual, sweating buckets. "What do you mean K-Kusakabe-sempai...we were just talkin' about how we were goin' to meet up for a Study session after school...r-right guys?"

The males in the hall all nodded in growing panic, knowing that it was now impossible to survive this whole ordeal without pain. The best they could was keep these injuries to a minimum.

"Oh really...?"

"Oh yeah! Yep! Really, really." The brunet assured, carefully moving away from the pipe and over to his "companions". Hisao carefully followed after his relative making it so that the two genders stood on opposing sides from each other, similar to an old western standoff.

It seemed all sound was sucked from their little bubble of terror and not a soul moved for fear the lionesses in front of them would be provoked.

"All fourteen of you are in current violation of Namimori Middle School rules which included cutting class, crowding, lying to a DC member, and attempting to interfere in a DC member's duties. Your punishments will be promptly delivered in due time, but I will give you all one last chance to explain yourselves properly." Kusakabe intoned professionally, tone akin to someone giving a death sentence.

The guys began to frantically mumble together, asking each other what to do, how are they going to get out of this, and weeping about how they were going to be bitten to death and were going to die virgins!

"D-don't worry guys!" Taro whimpered but clenched his fist in reassurance. "We might be able to get out of here with all our bones intact!" The males looked at the black-haired boy as if he had gone insane. There was no way they were going to get out of this mess, and they all told him just so!

"But we will!" The average looking boy insisted, eyes shining with confidence. "As long as Shinonome and Kurokawa are here, we could stand a chance! They're always getting out of trouble so I'm sure they'll get us out of this bind! "

The others stared at the short, black-haired youth before coming to the same reassuring conclusion that Taro came to. He was right! The two Cousins were known around the school for always getting out of tight binds and situations! They got away with pretty much everything! With them here, they be out of this nightmare in no time!

Daiki and Hisao, meanwhile, were sharing a telepathic conversation with each other and were busy giving the other fool proof plans ideas to get them out alive, not noticing the admiring looks they were getting from behind.

 _'I say we run and leave theses idiots behind to get killed.'_  Daiki signaled with his eyes getting a subtle nod from the other. _'Agreed.'_

"Oi!" A blond-haired girl with a face mask on growled, fixing a glower at them. "You heard Aneki! What's taking you so long to answer?!"

"Yeah, yeah! We heard her loud and clear you damn nag!" One of the braver (or incredibly stupid) guys, a blond hair delinquent with piercings named Sato Hikaru, shouted gaining some outraged cries from the DC side. Daiki whipped his head to look over at the dumb ass who had said that, almost snapping his neck at the high velocity.

**_"HAAAH?!"_ **

"What the hell did you just call me?!" The blond girl from earlier snarled, cracking her knuckles.

"You heard him!" Another idiot from their side supported, arousing a cheer from his companions. "We don't have to listen to a thing you guys say! Not while Shinonome and Kurokawa are here!"

The poor boys couldn't have looked anymore flabbergasted at what was transpiring, thrown for a loop at the fact that they were so suddenly put in this dire situation.

Hisao's glare could piratically melt stone as he seethed at the group behind him. "Don't put our names in your mouths you damn idiots! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"But Kurokawa!" Taro exclaimed, looking up at him with bright eyes. "You, Sasagawa, and Shinonome are the only ones who have never showed fear for the DC! If there's anyone who can stand up to them, it's you!"

"Just because we don't openly fear them, doesn't mean we want to fight them you dumb asses!" He countered back to no avail as the boys continued to cheer for the Cousins to defeat the demonesses and deliver them to freedom!

"You girls can't stop us from watching our first ever cat fight!" Hikaru declared challengingly. "The whole male student body is counting on us!"

"Kusakabe nee-san, let us deal with these idiots!" A black-haired girl asked her superior, earnest requests from the others following close behind. The girls looked ready to spit fire at all the taunts and insults thrown their way. "We can't let these perverts have their way!"

"Now, now! We don't want any trouble!" Daiki quickly cut in, holding his hands up to signal that he came in peace. "This is all just a huge misunderstandin'! You see, what had happend was-"

"Enough." Kusakabe interrupted, black eyes cold as ice. "I have heard enough. I was just going to send you boys to the office and have the principal deal with you, but It seems you insist on getting in our way." She brought down her lead pipe with a bone shattering  _CLANG_! The impact bringing order immediately. She stared hard at Daiki who felt all the hairs on his neck stand at the ocular threat.

"You, Shinonome correct?" She asked to which he nodded slowly. "You appear to be the leader to these vulgar boys! Your acts against the Disciplinary Committee will not go unpunished, I'll assure you of that."

As the female took a step towards him, the tall boy took a step back.  _'Damn!'_  He thought with gritted teeth.  _'Looks like I'm not getting out of this one in one piece!'_

"Oi!" He shouted, quickly turning to address the assembled group. "It looks like we have no other option! Everyone! Initiate Operation ** _"Forest Gump"_**!"

The boys gasped, looking as if they couldn't believe what he had just said. "Y-you don't mean-?!" Saruto whispered, earning a grim nod from the tall boy.

The girl's looked at each other in confusion, not really understanding his words. "Operation _"Forest Gump"_?" "What's that?" "Sounds familiar..."

"Get into formation!" Daiki declared as he and all the guys turned, crouched, and placed their hands on the ground.

"Ready men?!" The tall boy roared as Kusakabe seemed to realize what was about to happen.

"Girls!" She cried, already beginning to rush towards them. "Stop them! Their planning to-"

**_"RUUUUNNN!"_ **

But it was too late. At Daiki's signal, the males all began to sprint for their lives down the hall. You'd think they were being chased by Jason Voorhees himself with how fast they were sprinting away.

"Tch!" Kusakabe growled, before quickly rounding on the girls behind her. "Do not let them escape! Chase after them and apprehend them so they can be brought to the Disciplinary Office! Inform the others to guard or lock all and any entrances as to ensure they don't escape!"

"Yes, Kusakabe nee-san!" The delinquents affirmed and with a battle cry of their own, they went after the male fugitives.

Kusakabe stood, fixed to her spot as she stared hard at where the boys once stood. Her mind raced with heated malice at the fore mentioned group and her hand tightened around her pipe when her thoughts settled on a certain black haired, green eyed giant.

"Shinonome...that boy...will soon become a menace to the school..." At that thought, a cold realization began to make its presence known, making her heart shudder at the temperature. She slowly reached down her shirt and pulled out her phone, looking down on it with grim trepidation. Kusakabe had been instructed on what she had to do in case a large scale disruptive occurrence were to happen in the school. After a few moments of stillness, she slid her phone on and began to type in a familiar number...

If there were  _ever_  such a large scale disruptive occurrence in the school...she would have to call... ** _Her_**

Her finger froze above the call button, and she grimaced deepened at the impending results of her actions...she was required to make the call...but should she? Those boys may have been seen as menaces in her eyes, but did they really deserve to be punished by... ** _Her_**?

Kusakabe stood alone in the hall, deeply lost in her thoughts and weighing her options. After a few more moment of deliberation, the messy haired female sighed before switching her phone off and placing it back in her shirt. There was no need to call  ** _Her_** for such a mundane disruption. When it came to it, the girl's leader had no sense of mercy or collateral damage. Kusakabe could handle this situation herself...

With that thought, the young woman's black eyes opened, and she reaffirmed her grip on her pipe before quickly making her way down the hall.

She had to get this whole thing settled before her leader woke up from her nap.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the roof of Namichuu, all was peaceful. It's tranquil atmosphere unmarred by the chaotic happenings inside the building. All was quiet as the sounds of suburban life filled the air with ASMR like grace.

And laying there, like a modern sleeping beauty, was a young woman who dozed with her hands behind her head as makeshift pillows. She lay still as soft breaths left her lips in lulls.

The girl slept on, undisturbed and unbothered, and all that could be heard in the silence was her soft, almost wind like snores...

That was, until a certain song melodied along with nature's calm.

_Midori tanabiku namimori no~!_

Cheery and sung in a cute squeaky voice, the song continued. The young women's soft breaths cut off abruptly and her form stilled.

_dai naku shou naku nami ga ii~!_

The air surrounding the teen was no longer peaceable and a stagnant force of threat began to grow.

_itsumo kawaranu sukoyaka kenage~!_

The voice continued its song, sweet as sugar tone contrasting greatly with the silent intimidation of the other. In fact, it only seemed to enhance that overall danger that covered the whole roof like a thick blanket.

_aa... tomo ni utaou namimori chuu~!_

Pale lids slowly opened to reveal narrow, steely grey eyes. The femme fatale was now awakened from her slumber, and by the malice in response to this little tidbit, it was by far  ** _not_** a good thing.

God bless the poor souls who will be on the opposite end of said malevolence...

* * *

Why would people climb mountains and sky dive to get their kicks when they could run from a bunch of violent school girls who would chase you down with various weapons of terror and pain? I mean really now, just going to high school is daring enough! But alas, that isn't really of any importance at the moment for you see, I am quite literally acting out that one Johnny Depp meme where he's running away from those cannibals on the beach.

I can barely remember the last time I had run this much before. Usain Bolt didn't have shit on me at this moment! Honestly if I wasn't so overcome with fright and soul encompassing rage at the dumb  ** _FUCKS_** who had gotten me in this situation, I'd be very impressed with myself.

I would say that this whole situation was troublesome, but that would be a grievous understatement.

All of us were running like the wind, sprinting down halls, curving around corners. Various teachers and students would poke their heads out of the classroom to see what the hell was going on, but I guess the sight of a bunch of scared shitless students being chased by a horde of angry psychopaths made them nope right back in and continue with their day.

"DAIKI!" Hisao roared as he pumped his legs as fast as he could. "WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE EVERY TIME I HANG OUT WITH YOU, YOU ALMOST GET US KILLED?!"

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU YELLIN' AT ME?!" I screamed back, simply aghast at the fact that he thought this was my fault! "IT WAS THESE STUPID MOTHERFUCKERS WHO GOT US IN THIS SITUATION!"

Said stupid motherfuckers looked ready to piss themselves in fear as we turned yet another corner and narrowly avoided a group of DC members. I was starting to think that they were witches at this point as no matter where we went, they were there waiting for us to seal our doom.

"STOP RUNNING YOU BASTARDS!" Shouted one of them while her comrade raised a  _sign pole_  with a deadly glint in her eye. "I'M GOING TO SHOVE THIS PIPE SO FAR UP YOUR ASS, YOU'LL BE COUGHING OUT ALUMINUM FOR WEEKS!"

That monkey faced idiot Saruto screeched at that particular threat and put on an extra burst of speed. "UKIYA! I'M TO YOUNG TO DIE! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE MOMOKO SEMPAI'S BOOBS YET!"

That blond delinquent Hikaru also cried out, mussing his hair up in frustration. "GRAAH! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO EAT THAT HAMBURGER STEAK MY MOM MADE TODAY FOR LUNCH!"

"And I still haven't caught up with Steven Universe yet!" Taro cried as well while Hisao turned to glare at them with annoyance.

"IS THAT ALL YOU DUMB ASSES ARE WORRIED ABOUT AT THIS MOMENT?!"

"SHINONOME! CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING TO GET US OUT OF THIS?!" Asked one of the boys in desperation while I gave him a glare of my own.

"NO WAY IN HELL! IF I'M GOIN' DOWN, YOU ASS HOLES ARE COMIN' WITH ME! NOW QUIT YOUR BITCHIN' AND START HALLIN' ASS!"

**_"_ ** _EXTREAAA **AAMMMMM!"**_

I felt myself start at the sudden familiar yell that was coming from behind us and I turned my head to see a silver blur come streaking towards us like lightning. The figure then took a giant running leap, soaring over the girls and us before it slammed to the ground in a roll, ending up right next to me. I soon realized who exactly this blur was, and it was at this point where literally nothing could surprise me anymore. Fore running besides me and grinning like a loon was my best friend’s older sister.

"Ryoko?!" I cried, and she gave me an eager salute.

"GOOD MORNING SHINONOME! NICE DAY FOR A JOG EH?!"

Ryoko Sasagawa, the older sister of Kyohei and extreme boxing enthusiast. Ever since I met her that day she and Kyohei had the stuffing beaten out of them, she had always been this giant ball of cosmic energy, always bursting with the urge to fight, fight, and fight some more. I had no doubt in my mind that she was the strongest girl in the whole school, second to or maybe even on par with Hibari herself.

Hisao grimaced at the silver eyed girl, looking supremely done with all of this bull shit. "Oh great, now the boxer's here! All we need now is Satan himself and we can call it a night!"

"Ryoko, what the heck are you doin' here?! Don't you have classes on the other side of the school?!" I asked getting a fervent nod in reply.

"I DO, BUT I HAD HEARD THAT YOU AND A GROUP OF GUYS WERE TRYING TO OUTRUN THE DC AND SEE THE FIGHT BETWEEN SAWADA AND MOCHIDA AND I WANTED TO HELP YOU GUYS STOP IT AND DEFEND MY BROTHER'S HONOR!"

I grimaced at her word, already feeling stressed enough to make me a chronic alcoholic in the future. So troublesome rumors like that were already starting to spread huh? Great, just wait until my dad hears about this!

I was going to say something else, but the appearance of another group of DC girls shut that up _real_ quick. I narrowly dodge a fucking  _2x4_  embedded with jagged, rusty  _NAILS_  (where were these girls getting these things?! Why was it that girls couldn't have their skirts above their fingertips, but they could bring shit that could snap a person’s bones in two?!) and we all turned left to where a flight of stairs laid. I hopped on the rail and slid down while Hisao took two steps at a time and Ryoko just jumped down them with an energized cry.

"SHINONOME! KUROKAWA! I'M GOING TO TAKE AN EXTREME SHORT CUT! I'LL SEE YOU GUYS AT THE GYM!" She cried before barrel rolling into a classroom and causing a panicked ruckus. I couldn't help but wonder how the hell she expected to take a short cut in a one door classroom but was too preoccupied to think about it extensively.

I was panting like a damn dog at this point, not sure if I could keep this up. This fast-paced chase was too much for my junk food clogged arteries and my weak lungs. At this rate we'll be caught and hung up like livestock before 3rd period!

"I'm so glad I'm listening to  _"Guren No Yumiya"_  as my last song before I die, because it's seriously pumping me up right now!" A random guy commented, sounding amused in a soulless, broken way while Saruto seemed to notice something and started to point at it wildly.

"Don't lose hope yet guys!" He cried as tears of joy and relief began to run down his tanned cheeks. "Look!" He began, still wildly pointing at something far in front of us and all of our eyes followed his indication before we broke out into uproarious cheers.

A window, plain and ordinary on a regular day, graced our terrified forms with its symbolic beauty. Bare and open to accept our leaps of faith, it seemed to beckon us to its frame with a siren's song of birds chirping and wind blowing.  _Liberation~!_  It seemed to serenade to the us, I myself feeling deliriously giddy at the easy on the eyes sight.

"It's a window!" Taro cried, just as happy at the portal to the outside world as the rest.

"It's a way out!" Hikaru salivated in glee, spiky blond locks swishing in wild abandon at his haste to get the ever-living fuck out of doge.

Hisao's grim face was nowhere to be found, replaced with a pleasantly surprised smirk. "Well I'll be damned!" He called out. "Seems those blood thirsty amazons forgot to block this one!"

"Shit!" One of the DC girl cried as they began to speed up to stop us. "STOP THEM BEFORE THEY GET TO THAT WINDOW!" Desperation began to fill each of their faces as they realized how close we were to getting away.

 _'We're almost there!'_  I thought, hope making my heart light and flighty akin to a bird. The window to freedom and mere few feet away from me!

six feet, five feet, four feet, three! We were so close that I could feel the cool breeze on my gross, sweaty face. I reached out my hand and my fingers tips had just graced the seal to the window when suddenly, without warning, out of  _nowhere_ , death had arrived.

I noticed at the very last minute, from the corner of my eye, and I just managed to dodge the lightning fast projectile as it gently scratched my cheek, leaving another faint sting. A loud clanging sound echoed through the now dead silent room and I slowly turned to see what had almost killed me.

I felt my eyes widen behind my glasses as a metal TONFA had embedded into the metal of the window, effectively shutting and warping it to the point where not even a crow bar could get it open.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the foreign sight, but the loud and defined taps of footsteps compelled me to do so.

It may have been the result of my mentally broken-down mind, but I could suddenly hear a dramatic piano and orchestra playing out the sound track to my demise as those foots steps made their way down the stairs. Then, to accompany that, was the sweet little chirps of a bird which began to fly above our heads in elegant circles and curves.

"Hibari! Hibari!" It cried, sounding proud and joyful. "I found the Herbivores!"

The DC members looked shocked at the figure who was descending the stairs and they quickly part to make way for her like the red sea, taking a knee and bowing in reverence. Kusakabe was there as well, looking grim faced and nervous. The guys around me all seemed to shrivel up and die at the sight that presented itself to us. We were all pale and sweating buckets, eyes blown wide in fear.

Waist length, raven black hair swished with every step she took with long legs, grey hawk eyes pierced through my very soul, a porcelain pale hand gripped one metal tonfa while the other was vacant of its twin. She was what many people would call beautiful, but at this moment she looked like my worst nightmare.

She had finally made it to our floor while the little bird had landed on her shoulder with a happy chirp.

"Herbivores." Hibari Kyoko spoke in a tone that could cut through cement, my imaginary orchestra vamping up in intensity. "For crowding and disturbing the peace, you will all be bitten to death."

More than half of the guys began to cry, a few cried for their moms or prayed and one of them fainted. Hisao and I, on the other hand, had a much more elegant response to this and we both spoke it at the same time without having to look at each other.

**_"Fuck"_ **

* * *

Tsunayomi Sawada had always been a sensitive and emotional soul. It was a character trait that she couldn't help, something you can only gain from it being passed down by your parents. She was the type to wear her emotions on her sleeves, so if one were to look at her face at this very moment, you would clearly see the look of absolute terror on her face.

The day had started off bad and had degraded into an absolute nightmare. It seemed her life was on a runaway train to hell and it was a one-way trip!

First, she was woken up by the crack of dawn by her hell spawn self-imposed tutor and was told to run around Namimori TWICE before school began. Then when she did make it to school after being ran ragged and shot at enough times to put a police training dummy to shame, she was suddenly ambushed by her female sempais who started taunting her about jumping Kyohei the other day and how Mochida wanted to fight her to defend his honor! She had been so terrified that she had simply ran off while being chased by the girls!

'How could this have happend?!' She thought, huddled in a ball in a corner of an empty classroom.

"It's because you're Dame-Tsuna!"

She wasn't expecting someone to answer, but when a small, cherubic face suddenly popped in front of her own, she almost had a heart attack.

"HIEEEE!" She shrieked in terror, quickly scooting away from the toddler and pointing a shaky finger at him. "I-I-IT'S YOU! REBORN!"

"Ciaossu!" Reborn replied, letting go of the rope that led to an opening in the ceiling and landing on the floor.

Tsunayomi whined in dismay, covering her face with her hands. "Mou! What the heck are you doing here?! You've already ruined what was left of my social life, what more do you want?!

The fedora wearing child seemed uncaring of her tears and answered her with a cheery tone. "I'm watching to see if you're acting like a mafia boss!"

The honey eyed girl looked at the child with misty eyes and began to wildly shake her hands in dismay. "I told you already! I'M NOT GONNA BE A MAFIA BO-?" Her impending tirade, though, was stopped when she felt a tugging on her foot. She looked down curiously to see a rope was connected to her right ankle and she stared at the foreign sight for a few moments before shrieking in terror when she was suddenly lifted in to the air. She flailed wildly at the momental shift before flushing and reaching down to keep her skirt from flipping down.

"R-R-Reborn! What are you doing?! Please put me down!" She pleaded, only for her words to fall on death ears by the infant.

"Rule #3 of Mafia training: Expect the unexpected!"

"What on Earth are you talking about?! This isn't training! This is torture!"

"Now I know this may seem cruel and inhuman and illegal in most countries, but don't worry about it." Explained the boy in a half assed soothing tone. "Just know that you and I have a relationship."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN RELATIONSHIP?!" Tsuna cried, eyes welling up with large tears. "I'M JUST A..."

Reborn was prepared for a flood gate of whining and self-loathing, so he raised a curious brow at his student when all he got was sudden silence. The small girl had gone unnaturally still and was looking in some random direction, eyes wide and eerily focused. The baby studied the expressionless look on the girls face and wondered what on earth was going on with her. There wasn't anything mentioned about spontaneous episodes of any kind in her file and this was the first time he'd seen her this...docile during the time he'd been observing her.

The Baby's trained ears twitched when he heard a hushed whisper leaving the girl's lips.

"...Daiki-kun..." She mumbled, still stuck in her trance. Reborn quickly matched the name to the face of the tall boy he had seen and heard about in Tsunayomi's files. From what it stated, he was the girl's closet friend and oblivious crush. Nothing stood out about the boy in particular other than his unusual height and crass, uncaring attitude.

'Interesting...' Thought the hitman with a small smirk before he let go of the rope that was holding Tsuna up, leading her to crash to the ground with a pained yelp.

"AH! OW! REBORN THAT HURT!" She whined, effectively knocked out of her trance and rubbing her throbbing head.

"Do not be mistaken Dame-Tsuna," The baby stated, rubbing the barrel of his Leon gun. "While we do have a relationship, it is one of a Hitman and his target."

Tsuna gave the boy a confused stare and flinched when the other raised his gun and pointed it to the ceiling, pulling the trigger and making a loud "BANG!" sound.

"What was that for?" She asked in annoyance, uncovering her ringing ears.

"To get their attention." He replied simply and just as she was about to ask who "they" was, the door to the empty classroom was slammed open and the girl stared in horror at the sight of her pursuers who were sneering triumphantly at her.

"There you are Dame-Tsuna! Thought you can get away from Mochida huh?!" One of them accused while she and the other girls rushed in and carried the terrified brunette from her haven.

"HIEEE! REBORN HELP ME!"

Said boy on looked on, unsympathetic to his student’s plight. "Rule #3 Dame-Tsuna, Expect the unexpected."


	8. The Baby, The Fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I have no excuse. You all can kill me if you want because I deserve it for being such an awful author who doesn't update for MONTHS! I could write a novel from all the thing that kept me from finishing this chapter and updating this story, but for now, I'll just save you the grief and just get on with it.
> 
> Just so ya'll know, the next chapter (which I assure you that I'm working on at the moment) will be the last part for this little "Arc" of sorts, and then we'll get on with the plot! So please be patient with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter because shit's about to get real
> 
> (Fun Fact! I've always imagined Diaki being voiced by Tomokazu Sugita (I.e: Gintoki's voice actor from "Gintama"). Both of their personalities are kind of similar too!)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its many forms! I'm only here to entertain~

_**Chapter 8: The Baby, The Fight, The DC, The Fuck? (Part 3)** _

* * *

Kyohei was a simple boy. Many would say he was a bit on the ditzy side, but he wasn't completely blind. He could sense a shit storm when it was brewing. So, as he was panting heavily from his sprint across the school, thoughts of dread naturally enveloped his mind.

He knew he was too nice for his own good. A lot of people in his life had explicitly expressed how his good nature would only bring him problems and misfortune. He didn't like seeing people in distress or upset and his altruistic side would take over like some kind of mentally branded habit.

His relationship with Mochida was a complicated one. He was flattered that she liked him in that way and that she wanted to "defend" his honor, but she could be a bit too...pushy for his taste. He knew how much Hisao and Diaki disliked the girl, but he couldn't really do anything to make her stop. She was very head strong and while that was an admirable trait, it was certainly causing grief to him. And now, because of his passive nature, he had gotten Tsuna-chan involved! His guilt rose at the thought of the sweet girl having to go through all this because of him. He needed to stop this whole fiasco before it got out of hand!

And so there he was, rushing through the halls of the school. He was glad he hadn't run into any DC members, as he for sure thought he would. Maybe they were already at the gym where the fighting was taking place? The orange hair boy eventually made it to the doors of the gym and he didn't waste any time in bursting through them. His entrance gained hardly any attention, the noise so loud and everyone's attention on the upcoming altercation that little eyes spared him a second glance. Kyohei felt disheartened at the amount of people in the gym. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that the whole school was here!

Grimacing, the young teen began to look around nervously, trying to spot his female upperclassman and try to convince her to stop the fight. Maybe talking to her would fix the situation?

"You're looking a little green there Sasagawa. Something the matter?"

Kyohei quickly whipped his head to where the voice was coming from, mildly surprised to see that it was from one of his classmate's named Sato Hikari. She was the younger twin sister of her brother, Hikaru, with short, slightly spiky blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a lot of ear piercings. She was more reserved than her brother and seemed to keep to herself, so Kyohei rarely interacted with her.

The female was smiling at him, eyes comforting enough that it somewhat soothed his nerves.

"Uh, hey Sato-san..." He mumbled, and she tilted her head at him with a small, sympathetic smile.

"I'm assuming from the miserable look on your face, you've probably heard about the fight and are trying to stop it, right?" She deduced and Kyohei groaned, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"This is just awful Sato-san!" He cried out, looking helpless. "Tsuna-chan's going through such a tough time because of me!"

"You shouldn't blame yourself man, you know how Mochida gets. She's had it out for Sawada since day one, so I'm positive that this would have happened sooner or later."

"I would've preferred later to be honest..." Kyohei sighed, plopping down next to the female and burying his head into his hands. The female Sato twin gave him a grim smile that he couldn't see, patting him on the back in comfort.

"Don't worry that handsome little head of yours Sasagawa." She began, an optimistic tint to her voice. "I'm sure that everything will work out in the end. If the teachers don't stop this fight, then your sister or Shinonome will."

Kyohei slightly lifted his head at her words and allowed a tentative hope blossom in his chest. He sure hoped the blond was right, though if there was anything that he learned while being friends with Shinonome Daiki, it was that he always managed to get himself out of a pinch, no matter the circumstance. Just like Sato had said, he just had to trust that Diaki would be able to solve this problem, as he always did.

* * *

Daiki did not know how to solve the problem. Never in his wildest dreams (Or more accurate to say nightmares) did he think he would be literally staring death in the face at such a young age.

There he was, frozen under the piercing gaze of one Hibari Kyoko; Nami-chuu's strongest and deadliest student and authoritarian leader of the Disciplinary Committee. The rest of the guys looked like they were going to have aneurisms in fear, staring at the stoic female with deer-in-the-headlights expressions. He felt liked he was being cut down with a sword whenever her steel grey eyes passed over his form as they gazed into each guy's face in a calculating manner.

"Which one of you Herbivores are responsible for this crowding?" She asked-no- _demanded_  lowly, tone warning them not to lie or there would be  _severe_  consequences. Almost as if possessed to do so, everyone immediately pointed towards Diaki, who looked aghast at the accusation.

" ** _WHAT?!_** " He roared, looking especially pissed at Hisao who seemed to have no qualms with throwing his cousin out to the wolves, being one of the first people to point at him. "YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLES! WHY ARE YOU POINTIN' AT ME?!"

Hisao gave his cousin a painfully slow look, no traces of guilt in his actions. "I've been saying this to you ever since we met." He stated clearly and concise, tone dead serious. "But I, under any and all circumstances, will  _ **not**  _die along with you."

"Y-yeah man." Saruto whimpered, going pale under his usually tanned skin. "I mean, I like you and all in a no homo kinda way, but I'm not ready to die a virgin!"

A scattered mumble of agreements from the other guys only served to add gasoline to the fire that was Diaki's temper and they all collectively flinched at the venoms glare that darkened his forest green eyes.

"You mother _fuckers_..." He seethed, cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner. "If I get out of this alive, I'm going to shove my foot so far up your asses that you'll be coughing up leather for  _weeks_..."

Thankfully (or more backhandedly), Diaki's threatening aura was overpowered by Hibari's even more intimidating one, her frown etching deeper into her face the more she was disgraced by the group of boys in front of her.

" _Silence._ " She snapped, and the group of boys followed her order with enough proficiency to make a drill sergeant proud. They were all terrified out of their wits and they knew that if they disobeyed Hibari of all people, they would surely be killed.

"Kusakabe." She called towards the girl, who immediately perked up at her name.

"Yes, Hibari-san?" She answered professionally, appearing stoic under her superior's eye.

"Take these fools to the Detention room and detain them until I get back." She ordered, taking slow and calculating steps over towards the window where her tonfa was. Diaki and the boys cautiously moved away from her approaching form, them being forced against the wall with their only form of escape being cut off by Hibari and her band of murderous women. "They will  ** _not_**  leave the room and they  ** _will_**  be receiving punishment after I return from the gymnasium." She stressed, pulling out her tonfa with a loud  _CRUNCH_  and looking dismayed at the sight of the small crater her weapon made.

"Yes, Hibari-san..." Kusakabe intoned respectfully, giving a quick bow before standing up fully and turning to address the other DC members. "You heard Hibari-san! Round up the trouble makers and take them to the Detention room!"

"Yes, Kusakabe nee-san!" The girls cried out before turning near savagely gleeful smiles towards the group of males who only whimpered in fright, but brought up no protest. They knew a hopeless situation when they saw one, so it was now time to throw in the towel and hope that the worst of their injuries would be a concussion.

Hisao cursed and grumbled under his breath, though he also brought up no protest, already coming up with plan on how to avoid the least amount of injuries. He would probably use some of the idiots as shields, maybe try a diversionary tactic by saying that one of them commented on a DC members boobs. He wasn't afraid to play dirty, knowing that it was survival of the fittest in this concrete jungle known as middle school. He gave a discrete, side eyed look to his cousin, trying to cue in on his plan, though he adopted a look of polite confusion when he saw that the brunet's eyes were filled with worry.  _'What the hell?'_  He thought, ignorant to the war that was raging inside Diaki's mind.

 _'Fuck, fuck, **fuck**!'_  The tall teen thought, gritting his teeth at the sight of Hibari's retreating form. While Diaki should've felt relieved at the fact that Hibari was leaving and that he had at least an hour left to live, the feeling soon grew to an uncharacteristic sense of panic as he realized she would be going to the gym, where Tsunayomi  _and_  Kyohei were at, ignorant to their imminent demise! This was bad! Really, really bad! He had to...to do something!

And so he did, though one would say that his chosen course of action was as reckless as it was stupid.

" ** _STOP!_** " He shouted, voice reverberating around the silent hall like a clapper in a church bell. The tall teen realized well into his command that he what he had done had just signed his death warrant. Everyone else seemed to think so as well, fore they all stared at the tall boy with the upmost shock, clearly not believing what they were seeing. The only person that didn't appear to be shocked was the DC leader herself, though she seemed to have taken to another facial expression, one that sent an icicle straight down Diaki's spine.

Hibari slowly turned her head back with a dangerous look, looking both graceful and deadly in her movements, like a snake if you would allow him to be poetic. "What?" She demanded, though he knew that she had heard him loud and clear.

"I-I can't let you go to the gym!" He announced, balling his hands into a tight fist in an effort to control his frazzled nerves. What the hell was he doing?! A question he kept asking himself, but would broke no answer no matter how many times he reiterated it.

"Diaki!" Hisao stressed through his teeth, looking aghast at his cousins fatal daring. He always knew that his cousin was a reckless idiot, but this was just borderline suicide! No one told  _HIBARI_  what she could and couldn't do! She stalked to the beat of her own blood-stained path that was strewn with the bruised bodies of those that annoyed her. Seeing someone do the equivalent of poking a stick at an irate tiger had inspired a sense of detached horror in him and the fact that it was  _his_  cousin doing it only made it worse.

"How dare you?!" Kusakabe snapped, looking outrage at the brunet's apparent gall while the other girls were getting riled up, their loyalties to Hibari filling them with a sense of anger on behalf of their leader. Before anything could get to crazy, however, Hibari was the one who regained order with a sharp snap of her fingers. A hush settled upon the antsy group, though no one felt more nervous than Diaki, his heart thumping out an energetic samba beat.

"Obstructing a DC member from their duties is strictly forbidden..." The female spoke lowly, eyes narrowing in warning as she brandished her left tonfa at him. "So for that, you will be bitten to death..."

Gulping at the pure ice in her words, Diaki somehow managed to cling on to his receding bravado and even managed to take a step forward. "I-I...I'm afraid that, that will have to come later senpai. I have somewhere that I need to be and some people who I need to help out and while every bone in my body is literally screamin' at me to shut the fuck up or risk them gettin' broken, I can't just get herded up with these morons like sheep while you're out there, bringin' down your reign of terror."

The female narrowed her eyes even more at this and took her own step forward, clearly signaling that Diaki was out of warnings and in danger of being attacked. Just as he was beginning to panic, trying to come up with some idea as to how to get out of this situation, the tall boy jumped a little when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Looking down, he was surprised and mildly disgusted to see Saruto looking up at him with admirable, teary eyes and a snotty nose.

"B-Boss Shinonome, It-it's too much!" He cried out, overcome with emotion that Diaki saw no reason for at this moment.

"What's too much?" He asked, furrowing his brow while trying to knock away the monkey like boy's hand from his person. "And what the hell was that  _"Boss Shinonome"_  crap? You havin' nervous breakdown or somethin'?"

"Khe!" The shorter boy laughed, whipping his messy face with his shirt sleeved. "Oh, I'm having something right now, but it ain't no break down!"

"What the hell are you on about now?" Hisao asked the brunet, trading bewildered looks with his relative. "Get over here and shut up before you make this situation more worse than you've already had!"

"I can't do that Kurokawa! Not after I've seen the manly spirit of Boss Shinonome!" He declared grandiosely and said  _"Boss Shinonome"_  was starting to get creeped out at the reverent looks Saruto was giving him.

"I've been a coward for as long as I can remember, trembling in my boots at the tiniest hint of possible pain and always staying on the safe side!" He went on, looking angry at himself for his past mindset, yet perking up as he went on. "But how the hell can I go on living like that when Boss Shinonome has the balls to stand up to certain death incarnate?! It's a disgrace! A shame to my man hood!"

It was weirdly silent after the other's bold proclamation, but that didn't last as a tenuous voice spoke up.

"He...He's right!" Taro Yamada declared as he also started to give Diaki admiring eyes. "Shinonome-san, Kurokawa-san, and Sasagawa-san have always been guys that I've admired! An average guy like me could never amount to them!" He declared, the shakiness in his voice contrasting with the sudden determination in his face as he clenched his fist. "But, it's never too late to change! To grow a back bone!"

It was a gradual process, but it was evident that the two teens' words were speaking to the group of boys greatly. The pure terror and all hope is lost expressions were slowly morphing into enlightenment and resolve.

Diaki himself couldn't remember a time where he felt more confused. Where the hell was all this coming from?! The DC girls also seemed put out by this new development, one even taking a step forward with a fierce glare.

"What the hell are you idiots babbling about now?!" The yankee wasped, holding up her pipe in a threatening manner. "Just shut up and-"

"How 'bout you shut up?!" Sato Hikaru snapped, giving the female a fierce look that matched her equally and affronted one.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!" One of her fellow members demand, the DC members feeling their hackles raise at the show defiance.

"I'm talking to her ya old hag!" The blond roared back, also seemingly inspired by Diaki's apparent show of courage. "I'm sick of having to lick you DC members boots every time you pass in the hall! I'm sick of having my tail between my fucking legs, and I'm certainly sick of you maniacs ruling this school like it's some kind of prison!"

An approving cheer from the boys' side and a warning hiss from the girls greeted his statement and Kusakabe felt it was time to intervene and shut the situation down before it could get worse.

"You all have no idea what you're talking about." She growled, eyes narrowed in great distaste. "The Disciplinary Committee has kept peace in this school, keeping trouble makers like  ** _you_  **from disturbing it and affecting the students learning!"

Her words seemed to be comical to Hisao, who couldn't hold back the snort of disbelief at what he had heard. "You call what you witches do  _'Keeping the peace'_?" He couldn't help but ask, crossing his arms with a dry look. "I didn't know that instilling fear among the populous using threats and violence was considered to be  _'keeping the peace'_. That's a rather teleological approach, don't you think?"

"You know nothing!" Kusakabe shot back, looking the angriest she's been since they've first seen her. "How dare you-?!"

" ** _Enough._** "

The effect was almost instantaneous. Everyone clamped up as all eyes shot towards Hibari's and she certainly didn't look happy. Daiki gulped as the female literally  _glared_  the quarreling groups into submission. How could one teenaged girl wield this much power over everyone? I mean, even he felt intimidated by her, but would he be tooting his own horn when he thought that he at least wasn't out right terrified of her like most of the students in school?

"You herbivores have wasted enough of my time." She announced, lifting up her tonfa once more with a look that could curdle milk. "Either you surrender or die; it's your choice."

 _'She sure doesn't make it seem like it...'_  Diaki grimaced to himself, mind running a mile a minute while trying to come up with a plan. He was never one for planning, finding it to be too troublesome and preferring to just go for it and hope shit works out.

"Y-You can do it Boss Shinonome!" Saruto suddenly called out, giving the tall boy a thumbs up and a grin, though his reassurance was negated by the fact that he was trembling and sweating bullets. "You're the only one that can go against the Demon Queen who stands between us and the glorious cat fight between two cute girls! You're our only hope!"

Once again, the assembled group of guys cried out in agreement, irking Diaki for what had to be the 50th time this day. "Ya'll are still on about that?!" He cried out, unable to believe that they thought that he wanted to see that stupid fight. As far as he was concerned, he should've just stayed home if he knew how exhausting this day was going to be. "Shut the hell up! I'm not doin' this just to help you cater to your sick kinks! I'm only doin' this to help Sawada and Kyohei out!"

Diaki could see Hibari click her teeth and shift her stance, clearly done with words and going in for the kill. Honestly, he was surprised she managed to hold herself back this whole time, usually she attacks first and doesn't bother asking question later. Time was running out, he had to come up with something fast!

"Hisao! Help me out man!" The wavy-haired brunet requested for help, taking his cousin by surprise.

"Help you?" He repeated, looking as if Diaki suddenly started spouting out German. "We're already in enough deep shit as it is, you more so. I've got nothing other than to play dead, so don't drag me down to hell with you."

"What the hell?! And you call yourself my cousin!"

"Hey, you said it, not me."

 _' **Shit!**  Okay, calm down Diaki!'_ The tall boy thought to himself, the fact that he was now left to squander by himself making him quite nauseous. He had maybe around 30 seconds before he would be beaten into a coma (which was sounding more and more preferable as the minutes passed) and so that was 30 seconds to come up with a way to save his life and get to Sawada and Kyohei.

His green eyes quickly darted to the left, where the DC members were still blocking the stairs and making advancements towards the other guys and him. A wall was behind him and the guys and in front of him, Hibari blocked the only passage of escape with the window being an obvious no go. He was literally trapped on all sides and unless he could suddenly sprout wings and fly or instant transmission out of here, he had to think of some out-of-the-box method. Maybe he could dig his way out? No, no that was stupid! There was no way he could go down-

...What a minute...going... _down_? Diaki was suddenly struck with a headache with pictures,  **an idea!**  Well, more like a memory. He remembers a past trauma, one he tried not to think about to this day. He was young...out with Sawada...some idiot came to challenge him...he beat him up...the idiot came back again, he  _tripped_...grabbed on to something that looked like denim... _strawberries_...

Those fucking  ** _strawberries…_**

It was then that a sense of calm had immediately washed over Diaki, all past panic and worry being muffled by the sound plan in his head. Was this how confident people felt all the time? He didn't know, but right now that didn't matter. Right now, he had a plan to initiate.

"Hisao." Said boy looked up at his relative, looking confused and suspicious at his sudden calm composure. "I have an idea."

"Oh my god,  _you_  can get those?" The shorter brunet asked, looking genuinely surprised at this.

"I know, it's fuckin' crazy, but just listen for a sec." He requested and though he was still suspicious, Hisao nodded to show that he was listening.

"Okay, so I have a plan that will most defiantly get me killed."

"Well, it's already sounding like a pretty solid plan."

"Shut up. Anyway, I just want you to know that if (and I probably will) die, then tell my sisters to stay away from my manga collection."

Hisao raised a simple brow, looking truly bewildered as to what was going on his cousin's brain. "What the hell are you planning now Daiki?" He asked, waiting for his relative to divulge in his plan, but when he saw that he wasn't, he begrudgedly gave a reluctant nod.

Diaki gave a small smile at this, placing a hand onto Hisao's shoulder. "I just want you to know that you, Kyohei, and Sawada were the best friends that I've ever had."

Hisao didn't have time to comment on the absurdity of the statement in this current situation before Diaki suddenly bolted... _Straight. Towards. **Hibari**._

Everyone stalled, minds trying to process what was going on as something they never expected to see was happening. Somebody was running  ** _towards_  **Hibari instead of  _ **away**!_  Diaki was going to attack Hibari head on! Hell, even she looked surprised by his sudden action, her eyes appearing a bit wider than usual.

Kusakabe gaped at the taller boy's unimaginable actions before shaking her head and pulling out her metal pipe. "Stop him!" She yelled out orders to her stunned members, already advancing towards Diaki with only one thought in mind. "He's going after Hibari-san! Protect her at all costs!"

The girls were quick to snap out of their frozen states and a new fire had erupted in their eyes, simply outraged by Diaki's daring. They all, quicker than lightning, rushed in front of Hibari and then rushed towards Diaki.

Cursing in his mind, but still managing to keep his cool, Diaki didn't let the obstacles in his way deter him from his goal. Almost as if his mind was on autopilot, the teen began to dodge all the strikes and attacks the DC was throwing at him. With lithe nimbleness and dexterity many wouldn't think him to have, the tall boy managed to duck and weave through the crowd of enraged females.

"Damn it! Stay still you son of a bitch!" A girl snarled out as she swiped her bat at him, cursing when the brunet managed to dodge the swing by the faintest of margins.

The group of boys cheered, hyped up to the extreme as they saw their  _"Boss"_  practically run into a heard of lionesses and still managed to survive!

"Go Boss Shinonome!" Saruto called out as Hisao stared in dumbstruck awe at what he was seeing before him. Just what the hell was that dumbass doing? He always knew that his cousin was a few screws short of a crayon box, but this was next level!

Diaki, on the other hand, was starting to get tired at all the rapid movement. He managed to not get hit so far, but any longer and his luck will run out. His forest green eyes darted every which way, quickly trying to find a way out of the group of DC members and towards Hibari. It took a few minutes, but finally, he saw his chance! There, between a girl and Kusakabe (who looked terribly furious by the way), was a hole in their defenses. Their anger must've been clouding their foresight, which only meant good things for Diaki!

Making a straight bee line towards them, the young man could hear Kusakabe snarl as she readied herself for his approach.

"You low life degenerate!" She barked, raising her staff with malicious intent. "You'll be serving your detention in the E.R when I'm through with you!"

The female swung her pipe down at the end of her declaration, but the blunt object met only air, much to her confusion. He was just in front of her, where did he-?

"You know, as much as I would love to do that…" The female's eyes went wide, at the sound of the boy's voice and she snapped her head in the direction of where she heard it. With a speed she didn't expect, the tall teen managed to pivot on his right foot and complete juked her, faking to go straight and really going left. Now, he stared at her with those impassive eyes of his, not even bothering to look away as he grabbed the girl on her left and shoved her towards Kusakabe. "I'm gonna have to pass."

The girl he grabbed wasn't expecting the sudden action and neither was she, so it was only natural that she couldn't catch her fellow member without falling to the ground with a cry.

Diaki grimaced a little at that, his intention not wanting to hurt the girls. He just wanted to get them out of the way is all. Sadly, this situation couldn't have gone on with no casualties, so better this than broken bones.

 _'Especially my bones...'_  He thought grimly, but he felt a renewed sense of vigor as he realized that he now had a clear shot towards Hibari. Now was his chance! Everyone else seemed to realize this too, as the cries of outrage and joy practically vibrated around the hall.

"Oi dumbass!" Hisao shouted in what surprisingly sounded like genuine worry. "Whatever the hell you're planning needs to stop! Attacking Hibari is just plain suicide!"

Hibari expertly readied her tonfas, the glare in her eyes piercing. It seems she had finally lost patience for all this nonsense and was now on the offense. "Foolish herbivore, fighting me will only worsen your punishment."

Diaki looked unfazed by this, but then she could see his lips curl into a smirk, much to her annoyance and slight confusion.

"This is true, I wouldn't stand a chance against you." He began, a determined glint in his forest green eyes. "But, my aim isn't to fight you..."

These words perked everybody's curiosity. What did he mean his aim wasn't to fight her? Then was he planning to try and get past her or something?

Hibari said nothing to this, only narrowing her steely eyes, giving an almost tangible demand to know of his motives.

Diaki's heart pounded rapidly in his chest, adrenaline pumping into his veins and giving him he energy he needed for what he was about to do. His main earlier concern was to get to Sawada and Kyohei and stop the fight, but the teen had realized that this would be impossible, not with Hibari in the picture at least. What he needed was a good distraction, something that could keep her occupied and away from the gym...

 _…And who better a distraction than him_?

The tall boy inwardly sighed at all the work he was doing to protect his childhood friends. They always got into troublesome situations which he often had to solve. Still, he couldn't say that he hated this job of being their bodyguard, as deep down he knew that he would always protect them. He's been doing so ever since he met them. Of course, he knew they would freak if they found out what he was doing and going to do, but he still wouldn't quite regret it as much as he normally would. Sad to say, the two practically had him wrapped around their fingers, much to his annoyance.

So, with that in mind, Diaki barely hesitated when he suddenly fell to the ground and stared to skid, like a baseball player trying to get to home base without being tagged out. "My aim," He continued with slightly gritted teeth as everyone froze, the spectacle appearing in slow motion to them.

In the rare moment of being caught off guard by a surprising action, Hibari was but a second too late to react to Diaki's advancement, and this hesitation would be one that would play in the teen's favor!

With a timing and grace that even Diaki didn't know he had, Diaki managed to skid to the side of Hibari, roll behind her, latch his hands onto her skirt, and-

...Total..dead.. ** _silence_**...

Everyone stared ahead at the sight before them, not believing their eyes. Almost in a collective movement, everyone's eyes went from the uncharacteristic look of pure shock on Hibari's face, to below where Diaki's hands were now place on the floor...with a familiar fabric clenched in his hands.

Said teen didn't dare look up, keeping his head down while his bangs shadowed his bespectacled eyes. "My real aim..." He repeated in a whisper that might as well have been a shout with how quiet the room was at the moment. "... _was just to piss you off_."

And with that final statement, Diaki quickly stood up while pulling Hibari's skirt back to its proper place, turned around on the spot, and  ** _BOLTED_**. His large form darted away from the stunned crowd with lighting quick steps fueled with the intent to stay alive and put as much space as he could between the female and him.

The silence he left behind was so think, nobody could move in it. It felt like someone had just pressed the pause button, muscles stubbornly locked in place. No one even dared to breath as they all stared at the lone form of Hibari, whose head was bowed, bangs obscuring her eyes.

Seconds, maybe even minutes passed before  ** _it_**  finally happened.

A shock wave of pure, chilling malice descended upon the room with a bone crushing heaviness. Everyone, both male and female, shivered as the feeling of blood lust seemed to overwhelm them, nearly bringing them to their knees. It even extended beyond the hall and reached every corner of the school; the occupants of the building being overcome with a sense of foreboding and fear. Animals and birds shrieked as they fled the vicinity, primal instincts driving them to run as far away from the school as possible to avoid the danger it held.

Terrified, both the boys and DC members all took careful steps away from the Disciplinary Committee president, who was exuding a deathly purple miasma tinged with black. The lights seemed to flicker by the force of her rage as the temperature continued to climb to sub zero levels. Her expression was unreadable, eyes concealed by her bangs and darkened shadows of rage.

Slowly, Hibari turned around to face where Diaki had disappeared off to, though this did little to lift the crushing atmosphere.

As for the black-haired female, her feelings could be easily summed up in one easy little four letter word...

**_ K I L L _ **

And like that, she was off. A blur of black and purple death, off after Diaki like a hell hound in a blood lust induced rage.

Only when her form disappeared out of sight, did the atmosphere finally lighten up. The warmth and light returned to the hall, though the terror she had instilled continued to linger.

The left behind Nami-chuu students slowly came to their senses as the minutes passed. They were gradually regaining the feeling in their bodies, minds coming back to initial clarity.

Kusakabe was one of the first to get out of her paralysis and as soon as she could form a clear thought, she too, was overcome with an encompassing rage. " _That low life scum..._ " She growled as one by one, the other DC members also began to hiss and jeer, a fire in their eyes and hackles raised. Gone was the cool and composed DC vice-president. Now, there was only a very pissed off female out for blood.

"How dare that  _ **trash**  _disrespect Hibari-san like that?!" She gritted out, hands tightening around her iron pipe with a bone crushing grip. The female then snapped her head to her group members, black eyes blazing with fury. " _Find that bastard and put his head on a fucking pike! Search everywhere for him and leave no stone unturned!"_ She hissed, looking close to spitting fire. _" **Bring him alive so I can kill him myself!**_ "

Her subordinates had absolutely no problem with following her orders as they all roared in agreement. Like an angry hoard of wasps whose nest was destroyed, they all scattered about in different directions in order to cover more ground to find Diaki. Their interest in the other boys were long gone and they spared them no second glance.

Soon, all that was left the males who couldn't have looked more shocked. After some moments of silence, the sound of sniffles broke through it and collectively caught their attention. They watched as Saruto tried to wipe away the wave of tears, only for it to be in vain as they continued to fall.

"B-Boss Shinonome..." He choked out between sobs, eyes practically sparkling in awe at what he just saw. "Is...is truly... _ **A MEN AMONGST MEN!**_ "

Yamada also sniffled, feeling moved by the sheer bravery (or stupidity, depending on the person) Diaki had shown. "Shinonome-san...He...He risked his life just to save us!"

"Aw shit..." Sato gritted out, sounding angry in a frustrated, but admiring way. "That bastard...didn't have to do all that for us!"

As the other boys began to cry, moved to tears by Diaki's seemingly selfless actions to save them, Saruto turned to face the group of boys with resolve. "We can't let Boss Shinonome's sacrifice be in vain!" He cried out, getting equally resolute nods and cheers back. "He sacrificed his life to allow us to escape and see that fight! So, forward my brethren! We must make it to the gym and fulfill our boss' wish!"

Another larger cry of agreement followed his statement and the guys collectively began to run down the hall and towards the gym. They would honor their boss' wish or die trying!

Finally, the only students left in the hall (who, if the walls could talk, would tell of the most inspiring tale they had ever seen after this day) was Hisao. The black-haired teen stood there, overcome with a great sense of exhaustion. He sighed, rubbing his temple to impede the upcoming migraine he was sure to get.

He just...couldn't believe it. He had known (probably since the first day he had met him) that his cousin was a piece of work. Every day, he did something that would make Hisao question the other's sanity or intelligence. He had gotten used to it over the years, so it was rare that the other could surprise him with some inane action, but today his cousin had achieved an all-time record of most suicidal stupid things he had ever seen.

Many would question why Diaki would have done such a thing. To go out of his way to do something so dangerously stupid. But Hisao knew what, or more accurately  _who_ , would lead him to do what he did. There was only a small group of people that Diaki would pants the most dangerous person in the city for, and two of those people were Tsunayomi and Kyohei. He was also part of that small group, bu-but that wasn't really important at the moment! What really mattered now was how they were going to get through the school day with no casualties. Hibari and the DC members were out for his cousin's head and that stupid fight was still a problem too. Plus, Tsunayomi and Kyohei definitely weren't going to be happy when they find out what Diaki had done.

Hisao sighed once more, finding the whole predicament to be bothersome. He was honestly debating about leaving the school right now and going home early, but he knew that he couldn't do such a thing yet. What he needed to do now was put a stop to the stupid gym fight, get Kyohei and Tsunayomi out when he could, and hope that Diaki would keep Hibari distracted long enough to allow him to do so.

With that in mind, Hisao began to make his way to the gym, being careful of not to run into any more distractions or obstacles. It was time for this shit storm to come to a close.


End file.
